#16
Here’s a different way to ask the question. What’s one habit that’s changed your life that you want to recommend to everyone around you?
These are the first five that come to my mind:
Drinking lots of water
Meditating
Exercising
Reading
Laughing
While drinking a glass of water might be a relatively shorter task than reading, you can use habit stacking to help yourself stick to habits by grouping them, especially in the early stages of a new routine.
For example, you can drink a glass of water while reading 5 pages of a book. Or drink a glass of water as you slow down for 5 minutes and clear your mind from intrusive thoughts. Or even reward your body with a glass of water after doing 5 minutes of stretching.
Think of habit stacking in this case as looking after your mind and body simultaneously!
Try new combinations every day until you figure out what works for you.
And whatever you do, take your time with it.
Building healthy habits is about creating anchors throughout the day that will keep you grounded in the present moment as a way to appreciate the journey more and not simply rush to get to the finish line.
Keep experimenting until you find your grounding habits.
Grounding habits help us to return to our authentic self and move away from operating on autopilot. This autopilot is often the ego.
What happens when the ego’s in the driver’s seat for too long? We start to live with a scarcity mindset, with fear, with anxiety, with stress and with an abundance of limiting beliefs.
The ego’s job is to protect us. It does that so well it prevents us from truly understanding and expressing who we are, even when we do everything in our power to break free from the scarcity mindset.
For example, if you’ve ever used the phrase “I’ll be happy when…”, this is an indication that ego is the one leading the way, not your authentic self.
This is why looking after the mind along with the body is important when committing to growth, lifestyle changes and becoming more present.
