Habits–what we do every day, or at least most days–have a tremendous power to shape our lives. When we intentionally choose and maintain our habits, we gain ability to mold and shape our lives in ways possible by no other means.
It is often said: “People overestimate what they can do in a single day and underestimate what they can do in their whole lives.” Anonymous. Rightly chosen and nurtured habits is a key that unlocks the power of time focused on achieving great ends.
Start with an assessment of what habits you currently have. What do you do every day, or at least most days? Most sleep a certain amount of hours every day. We have daily patterns of eating. We have daily habits geared toward preparing our appearance for stepping out into the public. We have certain times we invest in study, entertainment, work and so on.
After the assessing what habits you currently have, determine if there are any of these that are counter productive and therefore should be discontinued. Look for time wasters, or even activities that are worthwhile where the same benefit could be accomplished in ways that consume less time. Plan ways to eliminate these habits to free up your time.
Next be conscious of your goals and what habit(s), if established, could provide a short cut to accomplish your goals. Successful athletes display an understanding of the power of habit. A championship basketball player may shoot 100 free throws a day or regularly practice certain ball dribbling exercises. A professional golfer might have a routine of daily hitting range balls, or a certain practice drill performed daily to improve his putting.
Christians likewise can harness the power of habit to grow in their faith in God and be more effective in their Christian walk. In other posts we will explore which habits can be helpful to a Christian walk, as well as discuss practical tips to select, start and maintain habits for healthy Christian living.