HOW TO BUILD A KICK ASS NEW HABIT (parenting or otherwise) in 21 DAYS.

DAY 10

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GREATNESS.

You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. Surround yourself with the people who support your dream.

If you are quitting drinking then hanging out with party people alcoholics will not help you stay focused, or keep a positive mindset about your new habit.

You want to make your habit as easy as possible to do, you don’t want anyone raining on your parade and making your new habit feel like a pain in the ass, an inconvenience or an alien concept. If you want to shout less at your children, hanging out with moms who hit their kids and say ‘it’s good for them with this kind of discipline – it gives them character,’ won’t help you. In fact if anything, they’ll probably look at you like you’re an alien being that is offering them unsolicited advice, just by your existence. If ever there was a way to fuel self-doubt it’s by surrounding yourself with people who feel like your dream is a criticism of their lifestyle – because they will react to you, and it’s hard not to take that on. Save your energy and surround yourself with likeminded people instead.

People who already have/do what you’re aiming for can be excellent role models. Hang out with them or team up as accountability buddies. Get a coach, mentor or join a support group.

Remind yourself why you’re doing this – or who you are doing this for (your kid for example) and plaster a great big picture of them up somewhere to remind yourself. Or do a vision board to keep you focused. If you are committing to do yoga everyday to be more flexible, relaxed, and get a toned body then create a collage of people doing yoga, maybe throw some pictures of yourself on there – or get freaky and stick pictures of your face over theirs! Have fun, great creative and keep your environment positive.

Watch inspiring Ted talks, repeat your mantra, read inspiring books, watch films that keep you motivated. Meditate, Pray. Focus on keeping your mood and vibe high, because when we feel good, we believe we can achieve our goals, and when we are depressed we lack motivation.

See you tomorrow for day 11!

Go read DAY 9 HERE. Go to DAY 11 HERE

DAY 9

TAKE TINY BITES.

The trick is not to overwhelm yourself. Some people go crazy with fitness for example to start with and can’t maintain it. They get tired and burn themselves out. It would be better to set yourself a smaller goal and then stick to it.
Set a timer and do five squats every half an hour, or just do one push up a day, then build it to two push ups, then three… Build up gradually so you are more invested in being in this for the long run.

If you find playing role-play games with your kid tedious, start with short periods of time of 5 minutes then gradually build it. Or if it’s making time to read with your child every day, again smaller bites of 5-10 minutes here and there are better than suddenly deciding to read for 45 minutes a day and then ditching it completely after 5 days because you can’t manage to fit it into your already packed schedule.
Be kind to yourself and start small, making more and more space and time for your new habit in your life.

See you tomorrow for day 10!

And remember to say your mantra.

Drop it in the comments below!

Go READ DAY 8 HERE