Everyone has habits. We have spending habits, we have time habits and we have food habits.

The question is: are your habits helping or hurting you?

The first thing you need to do to answer this question is to identify your habits. Then you can pinpoint which ones need to change.

It is really easy to identify the obviously bad habits. Smoking is a bad habit that is very expensive, time consuming and deadly. So why do people still do it? It was a bad habit they got addicted to and can’t get off. After watching two of my family members die from this habit I can tell you it is very slow and painful and not the way you want to end it. My former mother-in-law had her lungs collapse at age 51 and spent the next 10 years dying. Her life was horribly diminished by age 55. She made the mistake of starting smoking at age 13 before her lungs were completely developed. She paid a horrible price for this habit.

But what about the not so obvious habits? My brother told me proudly that he no longer watched TV. He and I both gave this up. Trust me, I don’t miss it. It’s like giving up soda, you miss it for a few months and then you go back to it and go wow, why did I like this crap?

My brother gave up watching TV but he was spending 10 hours a week playing video games on X box. Now, some of you would argue that video games are better because, I don’t know – you’re learning something like exercising your fingers or learning how to be ambidextrious? Sorry, guys, I’m not buying that excuse.

If you are stepping out and trying to take your life to the next level you need to give up this habit.

Your time habits are more important than your money habits.

Why? Because you can make more money. You can never make more time.

How many of you want to lose weight but have not made time to exercise? Exercise or movement is much more important in todays high tech world because we spend way too much time sitting in chairs. You don’t have to go to a gym, running outside, walking the dog quickly, biking or any sport will work. Find something you love and then put it in your calendar and honor that time.

What do you need to do to see if your habits are helping or hurting you?

1. Identify your habits. Know what they are.
2. Stop doing what you are doing
3. Replace your bad habit with a good habit.

If you are trying to save money for a house but spend every Saturday on the Mall stop going to the Mall.

If you want to lose weight, instead of meeting friends for a drink after work meet at the gym or go for a walk. Or go out once a week for a drink and exercise 3 nights a week.

Habits are choices. Our life is the sum of our choices. 

Yes, sometimes things happen that are out of your control. That’s life. It happens to all of us. But the reality is you are where you are right now because of your choices and your habits.

If you want to be healthy and successful and live the life of your dreams you need to start with your habits.

 

*This post was originally published on Crunch the Numbers.org in 2017.