I never thought I'd reach such a high number of articles, but I have. Over the course of more than two years, I've made an immense positive transition. In the beginning, I wrote about my own anger, doubts, fears and emotional problems. Throughout the first 18 months, my articles were sporadic -- typically one or two per month. They pertained to my personal dilemmas and emotional pain. This generally related to my abusive upbringing and conflict with my father. I spent the majority of my life bottling up my pain and feelings, to my detriment of course. Through writing, I was able to let my anger go and heal. Today, I exist as a man that used to be angry. I'm proud of my accomplishment; no one can take it away from me.
Six months ago, when I realized that I wasn't mad any more, the content and focus of this blog changed. I set into motion a new habit of writing every day. Writing had been so therapeutic for me -- why let that end? Thereby, I began writing about anything and everything that struck my interest. I didn't realize it at the time, but the daily act of writing would become a positive habit. I haven't missed a single day since then. Sometimes, I even compose two articles a day.
In thinking about the process of forming a habit, I thought I'd share with you some tips for putting one into place.
- A habit is generally formed if you do something every day for a month. It can take as little as two weeks or as many as six, but a month is a perfect block of time to formulate a habit. It's also easy to remember.
- Make sure you perform your habit on a daily basis. No skipping days or using an asymmetrical schedule.
- Most habits begin with something easy. The more complex you try to make your habit, the more likely you won't continue to do it.
- Most people give up on their habits within two to three weeks. For example -- that's why there's such a large push for people to purchase exercise equipment only in January (New Year's Resolution - Lose Weight). Every mass retailer in America is trying to get your fitness dollars. But, by the time February rolls around, it's all over and people have forgotten about their resolution. Time to sell Valentine's Day candy!
- Try to complete your daily routine at the same place and time. Make it a zone of comfort and familiarity.
- If you're the type of person that enjoys company, find a partner to complete your habit with.
- Create some sort of mental reminder to trigger your habit. For me, I usually write after dinner in my office. If you're very forgetful, write your habit down and paste it in a place which you'll see all the time. Seeing is believing.
- Allow yourself to make mistakes. No matter what habit you're trying to form, you're not going to get it right every time in the beginning.
- Remove excuses from your life. Don't allow yourself to weasel out of your habit.
- No matter what you want to create a habit of, make sure you do it for yourself.
I appreciate each and every one of you that's stuck by me on this journey. Hopefully, we can celebrate again when I reach five hundred articles!
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