This new series expands on the foundation of the 10 happiness principles we covered in the happiness audit. It's called habits of happiness and it's a natural next step from the principles we have already discussed. Our habits are SO important. We literally are our habits. Our life is a manifestation of the habits we keep as we are what we repeatedly do.
Habits are woven through every moment of our waking life: The habit of being on time.
The habit of drinking plenty of water. Or wine. The habit of listening well. The habit of talking over others. The habit of avoiding conflict. The habit of kissing our partner good morning. The habit of working late. The habit of doing everything for everyone. The habit of walking the dog each morning. Habits. Habits. Habits.
We are all a multitude of habits. Some are working for us, and others may be old, or outdated, or just plain unhelpful.
Change can be hard to make in life. We get settled in our comfort zone, and even though we may not be that happy much of the time, there is much comfort in familiarity. Moving towards creating a happier life and being the person we want to be requires change and a conscious shift out of that comfort zone. That change can be hard to sustain. The reason for this is that we often try to make change using willpower alone. Willpower is a finite resource and eventually it runs out. We join the gym with the intention of going four times a week for an hour each time as we want to be this fitter, thinner healthier version of ourselves. And for the first few weeks, while the willpower reserves are high, we do it.
Then, before long a stressful day with a few unexpected chores or issues crops up and we miss our session. And then the next day is "too busy" And before we know it that gym membership is something we see only once a month on the bank statement. Our willpower, although a force to be reckoned with, is often not enough to make lasting change stick and we slip back into comfortable old habits.
Making change that lasts is far more powerful when we look at developing a series of positive habits or rituals. Think about cleaning your teeth for example. That is a positive health ritual in your life that requires no effort: it's an automatic part of your day. No willpower involved and it happens twice a day, every day, no matter what. That's the sort of ease and effortlessness that we want to tap into.
