11-Transform Your Life with Consistent Habits (Series)

Hello, my friend, and welcome. Glad that you’re here and joining in. In fact, it’s a great time that you’re joining in, because this is just the second episode in a series that’s all about helping you to become consistent. Because that’s one. That’s one of the pillars of claiming your day is being consistent with what you do. Because no matter what, if you’re just going for that home run and that big action, that big change, well, that’s all well and good, but at the end of the day, it’s what we do on a regular basis that ends up shaping our lives.

You know, it’s how we act day in and day out. Not, you know, you go to the gym and you hit it real hard one time, well, you’re not going to be in shape. You’re just going to be really sore the next day and maybe even hurt yourself along the way. But when you’re. When you’re consistent with that exercise, that’s when you see those changes. That’s when you get stronger, when you get healthier.

It’s not just eating healthy one day and having a salad instead of something else junky for lunch one day. It is when you have that healthy habit of just a good, healthy diet day in and day out. That’s what’s gonna help improve your health all the way around. It’s what we do on a regular basis. So this episode, it’s all about being consistent. Today we’re diving into a little bit of habits, a little forewarning.

We’re gonna do a lot deeper, dive into habits in another series I planned, but it definitely falls into having those consistent behaviors. So I got to touch on it a little bit. I’ve definitely struggled with some habits. In some respects, I’m a lot better at habits than other people. And then in some respects, I’m lagging pretty far behind. And I think a lot of that is because I am very much a creature of habits.

It’s just if they’re good or bad. And so once I get into the habit of doing something, then I’m almost stuck. Like, it is hard for me sometimes. It’s really hard to change habits. And so that’s been a little bit of my struggle. Now, in recent years, I’ve been able to use that to my advantage a little bit by being really intentional and putting forth that extra effort to develop some simple habits that have served me really well.

But if I don’t watch it, if I don’t watch it, holy cow, you know, I’ll get trapped in a bad habit. And I say trapped. It’s not that I’m helpless there, but I am trapped until I get really intentional and put a lot of effort into changing that habit, because I can get stuck just like anybody else. Look, have you ever tried to develop a new habit or maybe try to change an old one?

Have you struggled with making that new habit, that healthy habit that you’re trying to do where you want to make some progress in your life? Have you ever struggled with making it stick? And so it actually fully gets solidified as a habit? Well, if that’s you, I said you’re not alone. I can be there too. And that’s why I want to share this episode with you, is that it’s all about being intentional with the habits that we are choosing to develop so we can live the lives we want and God, our lives how we want us to go.

So let’s dive into it a little bit. Let’s get into the meat of this. You know, there’s some simple things you can call them little hacks, tips, tricks, techniques, whatever, but just some simple things that are well known around habits, that by implementing these and being intentional with the habits you want to start, that you want to add into your day in your life, if you use some of these, you know, guidelines, I don’t like calling it hacks and tricks.

You still got to put in the effort and the work. But if you follow these little suggestions and implement some of them, then it’s going to make it a lot easier for you to develop the habits as you want so that you can live the life you want and claim your day. And one of the first things that I want to mention is small habits. We’re talking about consistency here.

The smaller the habit, sometimes the better. It’s like we want to see massive change in our lives and see these successes. Course, course. But sometimes that mindset of only thinking about the really big and only valuing those big changes and big results, we forget or we completely ignore the fact. And I’m gonna call it a fact, the fact that small habits build up over time. Those small steps over a long time will take you a great distance, a lot farther sometimes in those large leaps.

So think about some of the small habits that you might be able to develop in the areas of life that’s important to you, that you want to see some of the gains in your life. One of the things, for me, a tiny habit of mine, I normally just get a really quick exercise in on my lunch break and then I end up eating at my desk when I’m working afterwards.

But it’s not huge. I don’t do massive two hour training sessions now. There’s plenty of people. If you want to get into a health and strength training podcast, go for it. This is not it. Now at the same time, I crossed over that 40 mile marker and I feel like I’m doing pretty good. I still, you know, we got my next round of Spartan trifecta for this year where I run the short, medium and longer one, not the real long one.

I don’t, I don’t do that 26, 30 miler. I top out at about 14 miles from my spartan races. But basically majority of my training is just the fact that I exercise almost every single weekday during my lunch break. And it’s not a huge thing, but over time it keeps me on track. And then when I need to add in other things related to health and exercise, it’s easy for me to do that because I’ve got that solid little habit right there.

What can it be for you? What’s that small habit that you can add in an area of life that’s important to you that you’re just gonna be able to help develop it. Maybe it’s not, maybe it’s doing five jumping jacks when you wake up in the morning. You know, it could be small like that. That is great. But, you’re starting to get that ball rolling and you’re going to feel good about that habit once you develop it.

And it’s going to be good for you in that life area that’s important to you. Maybe it’s a few minutes of reading because that’s a habit you want to develop, but you don’t have time. You know, it’s like, look, I can’t just read for 30 minutes a day, so I’m going to read for five minutes before I go to bed. That could be a great, great thing for you, way for you to wrap your day up if that’s something you want to do.

And that kind of leads right into the habit stacking. That’s where you’re gonna, you have that tiny habit, that small habit, but then you can also stack it on top of something else. Like if it’s, you know, brushing your teeth, if it’s a, hey, I’m gonna do a five minute meditation after I brush my teeth. Well, you could even do that little tiny habit thing and say, hey, I’m doing a Two minute breathing exercise or a one minute breathing exercise after I brush my teeth.

And so what you’re doing is you’re stacking the habit that you want to add right alongside another habit that you’re gonna do, you know, on a regular basis anyways. I’m hoping that you’re brushing your teeth on a regular basis. But what you can do is you can add in that extra habit that way. You know, hey, when I do this one thing, I’m gonna automatically do this other thing.

And that’s where I do. I do my reading and I stack it with my habit of going to sleep because I’m. I’m gonna go to sleep each night. And. And so with that, what I do is I make sure that I read a couple pages every night before I go to bed. And when I have a little bit more time or feel a little bit more on it, then I read a little bit more.

This is not an area that I’ve gotten really concrete and rigid in the structure of it, but it’s one that I feel pretty good about because as soon as I’m getting ready to go to bed, that’s one thing that I do on a regular basis. And it really does help me. And so that’s kind of like the habit stacking that kind of blends a little bit into the cue, like a habit cue.

And all really a Q is saying is that when you do this, you’re going to do that. It’s a little bit like habit stacking. You could use the same example. When you wake up, you’re going to drink a glass of water. And what it is, it’s like you have a cue that’s kind of the trigger, I guess. And so when you wake up, that’s your trigger, your cue.

And then what are you going to do? What’s one thing you want to add? And that’s you’re going to drink a glass of water. But then when you’re writing this out or you’re making a plan, make sure that you’re identifying that reward. Drinking a glass of water when you first wake up is great. Your brain’s dehydrated. Your brain needs a lot of it to stay hydrated. Otherwise, without getting into too much of the science of it, if your brain’s dehydrated, you can be as foggy as if you’ve had a couple drinks.

It’s not good, or you haven’t gotten enough sleep, even if you have just by being dehydrated. So drinking a glass of water when you first wake up is great. But I digress. Find that cue when this happens, that’s a good cue for the habit that you want to add. You know, win this, then you’ll do that. And this is how it’s going to help me out and I’m going to feel rewarded.

Now another thing that you can add in when you’re talking about, you know, creating these habits is, you know, your specific intention. And this can be a good thing to write out too, is if it’s. The little example might be, if it’s 7am then I’m going for a walk. If it’s lunchtime, then I’m going to the gym. And what it is when you’re saying that, it’s going to help your brain to realize, oh, if this is going on, then I’m going to do this.

When you ride it out, it’s even more powerful too. And those are just a few things that you can kind of try to use. You’ll call them techniques that you can use when you’re trying to develop your habits so that you can have that consistency, so that you can really live that life you want to live by starting off with tiny habits. Just build them up. It helps you develop some momentum, get some successes.

But it’s not just that or it’s not just feel good, they actually create a difference because it’s what you do day in and day out that ends up shaping your life. So start with some. Develop some tiny habits in the area of life that’s most important for you to make improvements according to your values, your priorities. And then you can stack those habits. You can stack a habit on top of something you’re already doing.

You can use a cue. You know, when something happens, then you’re going to do that habit. You know, make sure you remind yourself of that reward. You know, what it’s actually doing for you. You can set your intention for what habits you’re going to do and when. Look, this is, this is so crucial. You’re being intentional with your habits. It’s what’s going to help you to guide your life to go where you want.

It’s going to help you to claim your day, make the most of it. You know, habits that they can like, almost automate our behavior. You know, we have all this like AI automation and algorithms and all that stuff these days. But when you develop habits, it’s like using the power of that automation for your life as you see fit, so that you can be the best that you can be.

And really what it does too is it reduces decision fatigue. You know, when you’re making a whole lot of decisions throughout the day, you know, sometimes at the end of the day, I’m a lot more likely to get that sweet treat that I know I shouldn’t have because I’m kind of just fried on all the decisions that I’ve had to make. Well, when you have solid habits, you know, even these tiny habits, but when you have solid habits that you’ve developed, they get so ingrained in your brain that you don’t even have to decide on it.

You just do it. Well, take advantage of that and use it for your life instead of just letting whatever habits you develop without being intentional to sway you. You know, use that. You know, know that, hey, I’m gonna probably have a burned out on all my decisions. And I use that term, burned out. I’m not talking about full burnout. This is like where it’s just been. You made a lot of decisions throughout the day, and, you know, it’s tough to make that right one that you don’t feel like doing.

Well, this is a perfect time to use that power of habit because it’s not just going to be automatic. So you don’t have to think about it. You just do that action, you know, is going to be good for you and your life. And when, when you just do it, you take that whole, you’re not making a decision, if you feel like it, you just do it anyways.

And that’s also going to help you to develop that momentum. See, it’s kind of funny when I’m training for a Spartan race coming up and I’m pushing myself and I’m getting healthier, I’m getting stronger and all that stuff, then I have this momentum all around my health, and then it’s actually easier for me to continue to make those choices that are good for my health because I’ve already taken some steps related to it.

It’s like if I’m got again, if I’m in that habit of getting my running in, I say it like that, I don’t run. I take the winners off a little bit on a lot of my running. And I’m writing this season right now, as I’m recording it of getting back into it. But it’s like when I’m in that habit of running and training and stepping it up again, I’ve got that momentum going on and I don’t want to do other unhealthy things because I already feel good about these positive, healthy Choices and behaviors, actions, habits that I’m doing.

And then it’s like a positive feedback loop where it begins to spill out into other areas and I make better choices because I’ve got this momentum of positive habits that I’m intentional with. And so even if it’s an area of your life that you know, you know you really need to make an improvement in, but you’re struggling with taking positive action in it, find it a complimentary area or complementary habit that you can start that’ll kind of get you going in that direction and start with some momentum and then let it spill over so you can continue to make positive choices.

You know, developing these, being intentional with your habits, it’s also really important because it’s that long term change, you know, when you develop that habit in that area that’s true to your values and your priorities, you know, over time, like that is what’s going to develop. It’s going to make the massive changes in your life that you want. That is so valuable. Just a little recap on that.

It’s so important. You know, these habits are important because they help automate your actions, which reduces that decision fatigue. They help you to build momentum. So then it’s easier for you to stay consistent and do those habits because you’ve got that momentum and ultimately they lead to those long term changes that you want in your life. Like I said, I’m not trying to sell you, I’m not trying too hard just to sell you on habits and cram it all into one episode.

I do try to keep these episodes short for you, but we’ll do a lot deeper. Dive into habits. But really for today, I just want you to think about some life areas that are important to you. Pick one life area that’s important to you. Your values, your priorities, what you want for you, your life, your family. What’s that like and what’s a small habit? One small habit that you can begin to develop today and this week.

What is it? Just really think about it. If it’s, if you’re a person of faith, you know, pray over it. And what’s that small habit? Think about that, use that. Use one of these techniques. I definitely recommend using the tiny habit part of it, but maybe habit stacking or using a different cue to get you started on when you’re going to do that habit, when you’re going to start it.

Be intentional and start that habit today. Today. Okay. If you want to add a little bit more power to it, I really encourage you to write that habit down, know, write it down. Write what you’re going to do and why you’re going to do it, when, how, why it’s important to you, what you’re going to get out of it. Like, what’s that value? What’s that reward you’re going to get?

You know, get really crystal clear on it. Because I guarantee all that value that that habit can add to your life is far greater than any discomfort of doing that habit. Just one time, just one time, just get the ball rolling on it so you can develop new habits. I promise you, you can. You know, of course they take effort and some time, you know, otherwise it won’t be a habit.

You know, you got to do it and you got to repeat it. But just don’t get discouraged. You know, you got to reinforce it by doing it again and again. Once you’ve done it a couple times, like over time, like the. Think about this. It’s so powerful. The structure of your brain will change as new grooves are cut into your brain as it works on that habit. As you keep repeating it, it’s going to make it easier and easier for you to keep repeating that habit.

Look, I’ve really been able to experience some of the benefits of some small habits I’ve developed in my life. Some of them I mentioned about just exercising on my lunch break. I get up early. It gives me time to do a devotional and to work on this podcast for you, something that’s important to me. I make sure that I do my reading at the end of the day and set my intentions for the next day and the next morning.

When you develop these small habits, they are really powerful and they are really good. It’s worth the effort. Remember what John Maxwell says, and you’ll probably hear it a ton on this podcast, is everything is worthwhile. Everything that is worthwhile is uphill all the way. And I’m just going to add to the end of it, but it’s worth it. It’s worth it because it’s worthwhile. So it’s worth your effort.

And this is your life, my friend. You know, you do have the power to create some habits that will. That will guide your life to go in the direction that you want it to go. And developing, being consistent with developing habits that are aligned with your values and your priorities. It’s going to help you to achieve your goals, to live your best life and to be the best that you can be.

It truly is. It’s worth the effort and you can do it, my friend. Use some of these techniques that we talked about. You know, feel free to listen to this episode again if you want to go over them. And like I said, we’re going to do a deep dive into some habits. I don’t know if it’ll be right after this series, but soon after, we’ll do a deep dive into a series of developing habits.

But for now, for today, get started on adding one habit into your life that aligns with your values and will help you to live by your priorities and achieving your goals. All right, here’s to you, my friend. Use the power of habits. Make the change that you want. Live your best life. Hey, don’t forget to keep tuning in to this series. We’re going to dive into a little bit more consistency.

You can subscribe so you don’t miss any of these episodes. As well as you can go to nickmazy.com I’m rebuilding my website with some better information just for you, so make sure to check it out kind of on a regular basis. I got some new stuff coming up there. Hopefully by the time this episode comes out. As well as being able to dive into a Life Drift quiz, what it’s going to be is going to be able to help you to identify, you know, if you’re drifting through life or if you’re really being intentional and help provide you with some information that will be able to help you to stay on the right track of that for you and your life.

All right, here’s to you, my friend. Can’t wait to talk to you in the next episode.