Practice makes it all come true
Our habits, whether unconscious or conscious, are what shape our lives. If we’re in the habit of drifting from one activity to another without a clear vision of our goals, we will never see the results we desire. However, when we replace unproductive habits with new ones, we start making progress, and at the same time we boost our self-awareness and self-esteem. Establishing new habits takes practice.
You will set simple actions and practices for each of your goals to provide you with step-by-step instructions toward achieving them. An action is a one-time event, while a practice is more ongoing and requires a larger commitment. You will start by creating various actions associated with each goal. For example, if your goal is to travel to New York to celebrate a friend’s 50th birthday, your actions might include checking out airfares, saving money each month for travel-related expenses, or researching different things to do in New York to make the most of your trip. One fun practice you could assign to this goal would be to collect stories about your friend to create a personalized present for her, such as a memory book that includes pictures and memorabilia that spans the length of your friendship.
Inspiration: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself becomes easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poet (1803-1882)
Making the most of the Practices
Author Robert Collier states, “Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out.” The Practices are intended to help you succeed at changing behavior one step at a time. With regular Practices, you will begin to see changes in how you deal with situations, how you feel, how you think, and how you act. Sometimes these changes are very subtle; at other times they can be profound.
If one of your goals is to get out of debt, your actions and Practices may include setting a budget for payments, eliminating or reducing unnecessary spending, eating out less each month, or negotiating reduced interest rates with your creditors. By creating an action plan and Practices around this goal, you’ll begin to feel better when you see your balances decrease, think differently about buying that fancy pair of shoes, and experience a sense of empowerment knowing that you took control of your finances with a clear path toward financial security and stability.
Inspiration:
“Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”
- Charles Reade, English Novelist (1814-1884)
