Friday, August 1, 2014

August Word of the Month: DAILY

DAILY means happening or done every day. Things done every day are called habits. Habits can be bad things like overeating and smoking. They can also be good things like exercising or watching/reading positive things. It takes 28 days or a month of doing something new for it to become a habit. So if you just started smoking, the easiest time to quit is in the first month. Unfortunately, if you just started doing regular exercise, you have month before you will stop getting that feeling of dread before a workout. Also, if you skip a workout you start the month all over. You have to be consistent. I f you have, "just one more" cigarette, you have to quit all over again. You are either walking uphill or sledding down it in the snow. You may have exercised for two weeks but when you miss one session it is easy in your head to justify missing the next one. You have to adopt a, "NO EXCUSES." mentality. Here are some of the worst habits people can develop or decisions not to develop habits that I think are bad: 1. Saying, "I can't." When what they mean is, "I won't." or "I'm too afraid." or "I don't know how to..." 2. Overeating 3. Not exercising at all 4. Drinking sugar filled soda all day 5. Deciding never to read a book again after school 6. Watch TV from the time they get home till bed 7. Always trying to be comfortable Here are some habits and decisions I would suggest people develop/make: 1. Trying something new every time their is an opportunity 2. Keeping their word. Part of this is learning to schedule commitments as soon as you agree to do something. If you say you will have to get together with a friend you have not seen in forever, whip out your calendar and schedule a time to get together. Show that you mean what you say and you are not just blowing them off! 3. Think about the week before it starts and plan meals or when to eat out. Have some go to recipes that are healthy and buy groceries to make those meals. Otherwise you will fix whatever unhealthy thing sounds good at that time. PACK YOUR LUNCH! Don't go out to eat with girl friends or with the guys! Eating out all the time will add weight to you. Of course to do this you need to come up with a food budget and stick to it! 4. Come up with a budget. Don't just buy things on the fly! Your money will disappear and you will wonder where it went so fast. Put $1000 in a savings for an emergency. Believe me, it is life and stuff happens! Pay down any debts you have and watch your stress melt away. People are always so happy that they can get credit. "I got a loan for a house with payment of $700 a month. Many people pay that in rent for apartments. This is so cool." In this economy can you afford to risk losing your job and the house being foreclosed? Oh and guess what?! You had to declare bankruptcy..Now you have NO credit. Besides, when I was growing up, I was taught that it wasn't worth having if you didn't earn it yourself! 5. Exercise consistently. You can decide if it is DAILY or a couple times a week. Just do it consistently! 6. Drink water. Drink unsweet or drastically less sweet tea. Stop drinking all the soda and energy drinks that are loaded with sugar. I personally sell and use XS energy drinks. They have a ton of B-12 and no sugar. They taste awesome! They are like 15 flavors! I am not trying to sell them right now I am just trying to remove your excuses and tell you that you can make a choice to be healthy and still enjoy your drinks. However, if you are interested in them check them out at www.amway.com/vsm . 7. Read self help/leadership/people skill/personality growth type books all the time. They will help your friendships and your marriages. They will improve your relationships with co-workers. 8. If all you ever do is work and watch TV then your life will have no meaning. You will start escaping into the TV shows and characters and living through them. You deserve more of a life than pretending to be someone else! 9. Get out of your comfort zone often. That is the only way to grow and change. It is how you find out who you really are on the inside... So remember it is not just about what you do DAILY but about what you chose NOT to do DAILY! Habits define you. They define your character! So I leave you with one last habit I think you should develop..MAKE LIFE FUN DAILY!