Throughout my exploration of personal growth, that included exploring what personal growth meant for me and referring to external sources for ideas as to how to improve yourself as a person, I had collected a list of habits which seemed to constantly get mentioned and talked about. These habits, by many, have been claimed to be the foundational building blocks of a healthy and meaningful life, which we all desire. I already implement some of these habits myself on a daily basis but would like to start or improve my consistency with others, because after all, the purpose is not to be perfect but to put your best effort into everything you do.

Some of these habits are most beneficial when implemented on a daily basis, however keeping track of 15 habits all at once is a lot to expect of somebody, especially if you are new to the world of self-development, so I would recommend focusing and picking 1-3 habits you feel like you could implement on a daily basis and seeing how you stick to them and what kind of benefits you gain.

I have also written a separate blog post; Habits Are The Key To Your Success that goes more into the depth of habits themselves and also discusses some practical tips for how to implement new habits into your life. Therefore, I would recommend you read through that first to get some background understanding of habits, but for your convenience, I have also included a short explanation below, about the importance of habits in our life and exactly why they are so important for our personal development.

WHY ARE HABITS SO IMPORTANT?

I have previously already spoken of the hidden superpower that good habits can have on our well being, so here I have provided a short iteration of why habits play such an essential role in our life.

The point of habits is not to look at them from a short term perspective, but to focus on the long term, because habits require consistency and discipline to build and maintain, which can then yield in long term result and prosperity for all aspects of our life. When looked individually, habits can seem very small and futile, but a daily incremental action and change that we set ourselves to do, can overtime accumulate and result in many desired outcomes, ranging from an improved mental and physical performance, as well as impacting our relationships.

Our lifestyle and identity is largely a reflection of our habits. It is estimated that roughly 40% our of daily actions are habitual, meaning that habits form a large chunk of our life, which is why we have to take advantage of them. If we can take control of these subconscious actions and substitute them for actions which do us and others good, then that is one of the best things we can spend our time doing, and we won’t even mind or notice we are doing those things because they become an effortless habit. But consistently takes time and effort, so we have to be willing to invest our time and energy into sticking with these habits that we believe will have the largest impact on our life.

Don’t let negative habits sway and determine your direction of life, but replace them with beneficial and worthwhile habits that will bring meaning to your life and the lives of others.

BEST HABITS FOR LIFE

HABIT 1: Fueling your body correctly:

Everything starts with what we choose to input into our bodies, which can be summed up with the Aruvedic proverb “When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need”. What we choose to eat and drink, not only has direct impacts on our physical health, but can tremendously impact both our mental and emotional health, so it is important to place our foremost focus on our health - because we only get one. In terms of taking care of your health through healthy eating patterns, it involves increasing your consumption of minimally to non processed foods, eating seasonal and varied produce as well as eating in healthy portions (Both eating too much and too little does our body harm).

It is also important that we establish a good relationship with the way we choose to view “healthy” food because that relationship determines ultimately what we will eat, and therefore our overall health. Avoid the regular consumption of highly processed artificial foods that yes, may taste and feel good at the moment, but for the long term, they are not a good investment in your health.

In life there are things that are within our control and things that we don’t have control over; food choices are something that we can control, so it is up to us to fuel our bodies with what makes us feel, think and look best for the long term benefit.

HABIT 2: Getting enough sleep

Sleep is the second-best way to take care of our health. I had recently read the book “Why we sleep” by Matthew Walker, and my mind was opened to a whole nother dimension of benefits that sleep can bring to us, instead of just the usual “recharging our batteries”.

The benefits of sleep are widespread and include aspects such as:

Improved heart and circulatory health
Grater stability in energy and mood during the day
Muscle regeneration
Improved memory formation and knowledge association
Weight management
Regulation of blood sugar and hormone levels
Keeping a healthy immune system
Reduces stress and anxiety

Nowadays, sleep can be looked down upon, especially since it is seen as a “non-productive” use of our time, however, with all the evidence and research that support the plethora of gains that result from sufficient sleep, it is fair to say that that statement is false. Teenagers and young adults should be getting minimally 8 hours of sleep per night, however that is often not the case because we stay up late and stare and screens from our electronic devices, all of which emit blue light that suppresses the release of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin, meaning that our brains do not become tired and do not feel the need to go to bed, so we end up falling asleep later - a recipe for disaster especially if we have to get up early the next day.

If you are interested in the topic of sleep, I would highly recommend you check out the book “Why we sleep”, and start with taking charge of your sleeping schedule, because it impacts your health in more ways than you would think.

HABIT 3: Daily movement

Exercise is another habit to implement on a daily routine, because just like sleep, it has plenty of health benefits for both our mental and physical health, such as increased, strength, flexibility, bone density and decreased chances of chronic diseases, stress poor quality sleep. To find more benefits and to find out how to implement exercise as part of a consistent habit, I have written another blog post on this topic.

Exercise comes in different forms and types, and the foundation in building regularity in our exercise habit is to find something which we enjoy, based on the benefits we get from it. Experiment with activities that you enjoy and occasionally step out of your comfort zone to try out a new sport or activity that will keep you challenged but also improve you as a person. To keep yourself motivated to exercise, track your own progress and results, or join a community where exercising becomes a part of a social event.

Even the famous Greek physician, Hippocrates, had stated “Even when all is known, the care of a man is not yet complete, because eating alone will not keep a man well; he must also take exercise. For food and exercise, while possessing opposite qualities, yet work together to produce health”. The relationship that we have with exercise is crucial in forming a long term exercise routine and it is also important to mention that exercise should be kept in moderation; not forcing our body too much or not doing any at all, but finding just the right balance between deriving the benefits and finding enjoyment in a challenge.

Reframe your mindset by saying that exercise is something you “get” to do, not “have” to do, especially in the case that you are a healthy individual, that is fully capable of exercising.

HABIT 4: Meditation

This is another habit that I have recently integrated into my daily morning routine and have now, after more than a month of doing it, found plenty of benefits, which I have talked about in my blog post Benefits Of regular Meditation.

Meditation is a practice that you have to go into with an intention - why you want to so it - and also be very persistent and regular with the practice because meditating once will only produce short term benefits when we should be looking for a long term benefit in our health.

If you would like to pick up the habit of meditation and have heard about all of the benefits it can bring, I would recommend exploring different apps that focus on meditation or engaging in online or real-life courses that teach you how to meditate, that will both provide the benefits of meditation but build you up with enough knowledge and independence to be able to meditate then on your own.

HABIT 5: Journaling

Journaling has become quite a popular form of personal growth and has recently become one of my favourites too. Journaling itself is not a purely defined action and can mean different things for different people. For example, for some, journaling may mean simply wiring down their thoughts and feelings, while for others it might be a time to reflect and plan for the future.

For me, journaling is a mixture of both of those ideas, along with doing regular gratitude writing, planning different life events and setting goals for the future. The act of journaling is a great opportunity to squeeze in some gratitude writing, which could be a habit in itself, but I have started to include it in this section since at least for me, I like to express gratitude writing when I am using my journal.

Many people enjoy the act of journaling because it is non-restrictive, non defined and the journal will not judge you for what you write, so it is a great way for people to declutter heavy and unnecessary thoughts and worries onto a page. As far as neatness and aesthetics go, perfectionism should not be a barrier or a limiting factor in your habit of journaling, since journaling is meant to be unedited and imperfect

HABIT 6: Learning time

This is a habit that I would like to start doing myself, in the near future, because I have heard of just how impactful it can be to take 20-30 minutes each day to learn something new about a topic we are interested in. I believe that investing in your knowledge, personal growth and education are some of the best areas that you can invest your money and time in since it overall improves you as a person.

Nowadays, there is so much information available online, so it is literally possible to learn almost anything we want just from looking through books, online videos, courses, classes and audio recordings. All of the information we need is out there, it is just a matter of picking a topic that we want to learn about and finding suitable sources for it.

I think that each of us has some topics that we are interested in, however, we rarely take enough time to explore them and enrich our knowledge in those aspects. So I encourage you to read, watch, teach and listen about topics that spark your interest because it just might be so that if you are interested in something, you can use that knowledge to spark someone else’s interest in that topic. Don’t just assume that if you find something interesting, that no one else will.

HABIT 7: Reading

The habit of reading is a very popular one that is endorsed by millions of people throughout the world and is also a great way to keep our brain active and our imagination swift, as well as having a chance to expand our vocabulary and reducing stress. Furthermore, reading can strengthen our storytelling skills and give us a chance to learn about something we find interesting, which links to the previous point I made above.

Reading is so popular because everyone can find something they enjoy reading about, whether its fiction or non-fiction, both are beneficial. Nowadays, you also have the option to read on e-readers and tablets which are a more practical and cheaper book reading alternative, but many people still prefer psychical books because of their size and front covers.

If you find it hard to include reading as part of your daily routine, I would recommend either designating about 30 minutes a day that is meant for reading (Right before bed for example), or you can use your time commuting on public transport or during your time that you are eating, to pick up the habit of reading.

HABIT 8: Stepping out of your comfort zone

While we often hear the advice of stepping out of our comfort zone, not many take the self-initiative and really propel themselves into an unfamiliar situation, but those who do and manage to implement that as part of a habitual mindset, obtain a great array of benefits. The issue of not challenging yourself is that you essentially become too comfortable and your brain becomes untrained when it should be active and efficient. When we let our life be controlled by the walls of our comfort zone, we gradually become less comfortable with doing tasks; even tasks that before were inside our comfort barrier, therefore we spiral down a vicious cycle of eventually losing the majority of our self-belief, our capabilities and our discipline.

However, stepping out of your comfort zone can yield amazing benefits such as:

Giving you an opportunity to learn and gain valuable new experiences
Learning more about yourself and what truly interests you
Expanding your confidence and self-esteem
Becoming a more flexible and adaptable person - which are key qualities in today’s world
Becoming more creative and productive because our brains require a challenge to keep active and to come up with new ways of looking at a situation

If you can adopt a “stepping out of your comfort zone” mindset, every so often, then that is amazing, because that is how you will be able to learn and grow the most as a person.

HABIT 9: Managing your personal finances

Everyone has the urge to want to earn money, however, when it comes to managing and dealing with money, many of us freeze and like to leave that to others when really our money is our responsibility. This means that the money you earn is yours to take care of and you are the one who decides whether that money will be saved, spent or invested.

If you are new to the world of (personal) finance, it is always encouraged to learn about it and familiarize yourself with smart ways to manage your money, because money nowadays plays a big role in determining the quality of life you live. I encourage you to read books and articles, watch videos as well as part take in interactive courses or workshops, to get a grasp of your own finances and how you can learn and transition to a more financially independent lifestyle.

HABIT 10: Managing distractions

In today’s world, one of the best and most worthwhile skills you can have is the ability to stay focused for extended periods of time. This skill, however, is becoming more scarce and harder to master simply because of the mass influx of information and distractions that occupy our environment; whether that is from people, our devices or events that are happening around us. It is up to us to intentionally try and manage our distractions and identify how best we are able to stay focused on the task.

The ability to efficiency avoid distractions can be learnt and strengthened over time, and when it becomes part of our work ethic, we are able to manage our time better, be more productive, increase the quality of our output and also get a sense of accomplishment out of it because staying on task is not an easy job.

Here are some methods for how you can minimize distractions in your environment, while you work:

Temporarily disconnecting yourself from the internet
Muting your phone or putting it on do not disturb
Placing your phone or potentially distracting devices further away (For example: Not keeping them around in your workspace)
Implementing the Pomodoro technique or any other time tracking system, where you set aside a period of time for which you will stay focused and setting a scheduled break. This way you are able to tackle one task at a time and set yourself deadlines, which motivates you to stay focused
If you like to listen to music while you work, choose longer study playlists instead of picking individual songs that will wase you more time
Keeping your environment clean and organized
Choosing a time of day to work on you right energy consuming, or difficult tasks, when you feel most calm and least distracted (For example in the morning hours)

HABIT 11: Treating failure as growth as improvement

This is another beneficial mindset habit where we teach our brains to start viewing challenges and mistakes as an opportunity to learn and improve ourselves. We need to start looking at setbacks as a chance to readjust our current technique or strategy, identify what caused the setback in the first place and try again to be able to grow and exceed our expectations.

If we do not view failure in a positive light, we risk becoming someone who is easily hurt, offended and unmotivated - none of which are qualities we should be striving for.

HABIT 12: Focusing on the process instead of the end result

This is something that I am trying to implement more in my own life because I have just recently realized how important it is. We are often used to going into a task or action simply because of the end output that will come out of it, whether that is money, recognition, status, enjoyment or love. The catch here is that, the more we become focused on the end result, the less enjoyment and motivation we finding executing the action, even if previously this action was something we loved to do.

The solution to this issue is to switch our focus onto the action process, instead of the action outcome. By enjoying and finding pleasure in the process, getting to the result will not be an issue, it will take care of itself. We will face less resistance to keep going and generally be more motivated to complete the action, simply because we enjoy it.

The idea of being result-focused can also be applied to setting goals, where our goals act as our “end outcomes”, however, I among many others, think that goals should be used in setting a general direction for where we are headed, they should not take the spotlight of our life. They should simply play the role of a guiding direction, but should not necessarily act as a measure of our success or achievement, because if we do not achieve the goal, we have the tendency to view ourselves as incapable and as a failure.

Therefore whenever we feel an increased resistance to doing or starting something, it might be because we are too focused on the end result and are not actually finding satisfaction in the process. If we don’t like something, how are we expected to pursue it? See how you can alter the process to make it enjoyable.

HABIT 13: Always trying your best

Trying your best is quite a self-explanatory mental mindset shift, but it should nonetheless not be neglected.

By trying our best we are able to:

Produce the highest quality output of work, with which we are able to overtime, surpass our own expectations and thus gain an opportunity to learn and develop our knowledge and skillset
Improve our trust, reliability and reputation with other people's especially in the case that we are producing work for them
Overtime your esteem and confidence can improve because you are constantly pushed to learn and experiment with new things

HABIT 14: Surround yourself with inspiration

This idea is so important but is one that we like to overlook and not assign much importance to. Inspiration is vital for our work and the generation of ideas, so it is important to be submerged in an environment that has a variety of inspiration, which can come in plenty of forms, such as people, art, music, writing, poetry, books or anything else that fills you with creativity.

When we surround ourselves with people that act as our role models and place ourselves in an inspiration-rich environment in which we able to generate richer and more valuable ideas, we have the chance to adopt some of the qualities of the people that we aspire to be similar to and ultimately, grow as a person.

HABIT 15: Doing things you love

Our greater life purpose should be to fill our life with actions and opportunities that we love and that bring a sense of deeper fulfillment to us. We should design our life around the things we enjoy doing and assign them as “high priority” because otherwise if we miss out on pursuing things that spark our passion, we may adopt a depressive and non-positive outlook on life, that will get us to nowhere.

To identify where our passions and deeper interests lie, we must take personal time to self reflect and become more self-aware of our own preferences and dislikes. The more time we spend actively reflecting and identifying what we enjoy doing, the more precise we are able to become with our preferences and therefore, have a clearer image of how to pursue a life that is filled with passion and intention.

If we don’t know ourselves and don’t know what we want or desire, then how are we going to know what we want out of life?

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