Every human being falls victim to a bad habit, from time to time. Maybe you stay up late on social media or buy more clothes even though your wardrobe’s packed, or maybe you’re an overspender or accommodate your children's needs more than your own, or maybe you talk negatively to yourself.

Whatever the bad habit is, you can change it by creating new habits!

Remember, you’re in it for the long game. Changing habits to reach goals won’t happen overnight. It takes implementing one small habit at a time. And to change habits, you’ll need to understand them. So what exactly is a habit?

A habit is an action that becomes so familiar that eventually, it becomes second nature – it happens without you even realising. If these habits are healthy and useful, they have the power to transform your life in amazing ways; but if these habits are unhealthy, they can be damaging and sabotaging to your dreams.

So let’s get started with creating new, positive, powerful new habits.

How do I create positive habits?

When creating positive habits, it can be a fun exercise to visualise what you want to create, and what your big life goals and dreams are. And think big! We think of the ocean as being this one huge thing, but in fact, it’s gazillions of tiny drops of water.

And so too are your dreams and habits. You have your big goals and dreams, but each small positive habit will help you create that big dream.

What is your big dream? It doesn’t matter if it’s realistic or not but give yourself permission to dream. Create a vivid picture of what a happy, successful life looks like to you. Where are you living? Who is around you? What does your average day look like? And how are you feeling? Allow yourself the freedom to create whatever you like. Be detailed, and leave nothing out. And remember, there are no obstacles in this dream.
Take one step at a time. To make big dreams come true, it takes one small step at a time. Once you have identified your big dream or life goal, what is the first step you can take to get there? And then what next small step after that? If that step feels too overwhelming and causes you stress, then it’s not the right step. Choose something achievable, but also something that gives you a sense of forward movement. If you want to write a book, can you just write one page a day? If you want to set up your own business, could you read one article or watch one YouTube clip per day to help you become more informed?

Who do you have to become to achieve that goal? When we look at how we want our lives to look, it can be easy to look at who and where we are now and get disheartened. But we invite you to consider the opposite. What about if you got excited about becoming the woman who has created this dream life for herself? What habits does this woman in your dream have? Does she have a good self-care practice? How does she talk to others? What thoughts does she think? What does she believe about herself? What is one habit you can change that aligns with the woman in this dream?
Following through with commitments builds self-worth. When you commit to creating positive habits, your self-worth and confidence soar! Even if you don't feel like doing it, try and push yourself past your resistance. Whether it’s exercising or meditating 10 minutes a day, seeing one good friend a week, writing one page of your book or even flossing your teeth every other day, whatever small step you’ve chosen to implement is, stick to it! You will notice a huge shift in your overall well-being and once you start, your mindset changes so you’re encouraged to keep going.

Don’t beat yourself up if you break a healthy habit. Go easy on yourself. From time to time you’re going to go back to the “old ways” – it happens, you’re human! But try not to condemn yourself. Just notice and recommit to yourself by saying you’ll start tomorrow. It’s fine to miss a day but promise yourself you’ll start again the next day. The only one who suffers when you break promises to yourself is you! Remember, you deserve to be happy, you deserve to be healthy and you deserve to have the life of your dreams.
Have an accountability buddy. When making positive changes in your life, it really helps to have support from people who can keep you on track and remind you of why you’re doing this. Tell your partner or a good friend about the changes you want to implement and ask them to hold you accountable. Ask them to regularly check in with how you’re doing and talk to you gently (or firmly – whatever works best for you!) if you’re not meeting the goals you set for yourself. It helps to implement healthy habits when you know someone has your back. For those who don’t like feeling like they’re being “told off”, then perhaps don’t ask your partner to be your accountability buddy as this may cause unnecessary tension. Think of someone you know who would love the job of your accountability buddy and who you don’t mind hearing firm words from!

Final thoughts

If the habits you’re chosen to implement are too big or too hard, your brain will naturally resist doing it. The more difficult a task is, the more we procrastinate. You are more likely to get started with implementing positive habits by starting with one tiny change that can build over time.

Remember the why. Whenever you feel tempted by an unhealthy habit, pause, breathe, and remember why you are trying to transform this habit. This will provide you with the motivation to resist.

If you want to change your diet, eat one healthier meal a day instead of changing every meal; if you want to change your fitness level, start with 5 minutes a day instead of 40 minutes. Start with baby steps and increase from there.

How can I reach my goals by cultivating healthier habits?

Unii has some helpful tips on becoming your best self.