The Key to Building Successful Habits

We all know what “goals” means, but not everyone has an accurate understanding of what’s needed to achieve them. There are plenty of variables in the process, and habits are a crucial component of the system. Today, Kelly Global Consultants is ready to share our best tips to recognize where bad habits can be broken, discover new ones ready to be born, and use them to our advantage as goal-getters. Here we go!

“Habits are not a finish line to be crossed, they are a lifestyle to be lived.”

-James Clear

Tip #1: Figure Out Your Purpose

Before you can begin conquering your goals, you first must define what it is that you’re seeking. Think to yourself, “What do I want to accomplish?” “What do I need to achieve to feel fulfillment?”

Grab a pen and some paper, write these answers down, and indulge in a massive braindump. Start messy; see where your mind takes you. Once completed, compare your answers and find the common theme. This is your goal. This is your purpose.

Tip #2: Recognize Your “Bad” Habits & Work to Break Them

We know this is easier said than done, and this exercise isn’t meant to make you feel bad about yourself. Part of being an ever-evolving human is acknowledging your weaknesses and aiming to shift them into strengths. We encourage you to sit down, really dive into what your daily schedule and lifestyle entail, and determine which habits might be setting you back from reaching your vision.

Again, take your time with this, and write your thoughts down. Look for the common themes and then note the habits you’re ready to work on adjusting for the better. Bonus: Put them on a post-it note and attach to your mirror and use them as a visual reminder each day. This will help you remember and, hopefully, boost your motivation to follow through.

Don’t beat yourself up for not being exactly where you want to be just yet; this takes time, and the fact that you’re ready to work on it is fantastic progress alone.

Tip #3: Strategize Achieving Your Goals With New & Improved Habits

Boom! You’ve defined your vision, begun improving “weaker” habits, and now, you’re ready to level up and implement tiny changes that will lead to remarkable results. Kelly Global Consultants has found that the best way to ease into this process is with the “habit-stacking” method. Simply put, habit-stacking refers to adding one additional action on top of a current, daily task.

To put this into perspective, let’s say your big goal is to improve your mental and physical health. You can slowly introduce related actions to your normal routine. For example, when you wake up, you can add 5 minutes of deep breathing exercises. Next, after you let the dog out in the morning, you can head upstairs and change into your workout clothes for 30 minutes of exercise. After you shower, you can practice positive affirmations while you get ready. So on, and so forth.

Daily action + 1 additional goal-related action = habit-stacking

This method is meant to, with some time and daily repetition, make the added actions become a part of your normal routine and, therefore, habits.

We know success doesn’t happen overnight, but with a clear vision and refined goals backed up with strong determination and habits, you are capable of anything. The road in your journey may come with a few bumps, but be kind to yourself. Acknowledge your progress, celebrate the small wins, and work to push through any setbacks. Our team at Kelly Global Consultants believes this in our core.

For more business-related tips and motivation like these, connect with us on LinkedIn!