The Leading Edge: Set Yourself Up For Success In 2017

For instance, most mornings you probably have a predictable routine. There are parts of this routine that consist of good habits – such as taking a shower, eating breakfast, getting your children ready for school, etc. In addition, over time, you probably have developed some bad habits, such as hitting the snooze button several times, mindlessly watching television or surfing the Internet, eating a quick but non-nutritious breakfast, etc. The result? Your bad habits are impeding your success, and you don’t even realize it.

One of my ongoing goals has been to write a book. I know that the time of day that I am most alert and most creative is in the morning hours. At the end of every year, I’m disappointed that I have not made any strides in reaching my goal, which I attribute to a lack of time. Yet in the morning hours when I have free time, I choose to mindlessly surf the Internet, watch television, and putter around the house. During those precious hours in which my creativity was at its peak, I’m wasting time doing other activities that aren’t aligning me with my passion.

All of us have developed habits; they help us get through life much easier than having to consciously think about all of the thousands of actions we take and decisions we make every day. Habits can become so ingrained in our daily routine that we are not even conscious of how much they rule our lives. Sometimes it takes a family member or someone who knows us well to bring our bad ones into the light.

For the past two years I would run late for meetings and appointments, and no matter how much I tried to leave my house on time, I failed to do so on a continuous basis. Exasperated, I finally asked my husband, “Do you see any habits that I have that hinder me from being on time?” He immediately uncovered the problem. I had developed a habit of leaving my keys and cell phone at random locations in the house rather than in one designated place. This bad habit made me perpetually late, as I would routinely race around the house searching for my keys and phone. Once he brought the culprit to my attention, I began developing the good habit of placing my keys in a designated spot in the house.

You can also become aware of your habits by tracking your activities throughout the day. Make a spreadsheet or notes in a notebook and track how you are spending your day. I used to be frustrated with my inability to lose five unwanted pounds, although I ate healthy meals and worked out on a regular basis. However, once I began tracking everything I ate, I realized that I had been eating bread with almost every meal. Once the habit of my bread intake was brought to light, I decreased the amount of it that I ate, and effortlessly dropped the extra weight. Write down what you do every day, what you eat and drink, and how much money you spend. Every little bit needs to be brought to light, because all of the little bits of time, little bits of food and little bits of money… all can add up to obstacles to your success.

The second step to changing your bad habits is to replace them with good ones. For instance, once I began tracking my time in the morning hours and became aware of how much time I was wasting, I realized that I needed to make changes. I still needed a morning routine, but instead of surfing the Internet, I began using that time in front of the computer to write. And once this new practice became a habit, meaning that I did not have to even think about doing it, I became much more productive in the morning hours.

Remember—habits are not the enemy. As John Maxwell says, “Habits can be the anchor that hold you down or the wind beneath your wings that allow you to fly.”

About Antoinette:

Antoinette Griffin has been a certified coach and speaker with the John Maxwell Team since 2012. She and her husband John (a founding member of the JMT) own Griff Development, helping individuals and teams master their confidence in the areas of personal and professional communication, leadership, sales, customer service, marketing, and healthcare.

Antoinette has experienced 18 years as a business owner of Texas Seniors’ Guides, a publishing company providing 300,000 resource guides throughout Texas. She possesses an additional nine years of management experience in corporate and public sectors. She’s a graduate of The University of Texas, and currently teaches continuing education classes at UT for shy and introverted adults who desire to increase their confidence.

Antoinette and John reside in Austin, Texas. For more information, visit GriffDevelopment.com or email agriffin@griffdevelopment.com.