Do Your Habits Represent the Person You Want To Be?

This month, we will explore the concept of habits. If we understand the power of habits and what they ultimately make possible—or prevent—we can live more purposeful and meaningful lives.

Each day, 50% to 60% of our time is spent in purposeful activities; we are deliberate in and mindful of what we are doing. However, 40% to 50% of our day is consumed by activities we do out of habit, without thinking about them. As we seek to live the fulfilled and meaningful life we desire, are our habits helping us?

This hit home after I consulted a nutritionist. She said a key contributor to my poor recent blood work profile was my habit of attacking the cookie jar upon arriving home from work. She provided an easy solution for breaking this bad habit: Eat a granola bar at 3:00 p.m. to get me past the cookie jar when I get home. As a result, my blood work is much better today, so I am better prepared to live that fulfilled and meaningful life I seek.

What about you? What habits may be inhibiting you from living your desired thriving and meaningful life?

Using Habits to Build a Foundation of Greatness for Peak Performance

Our work at FS/A with executives and teams is based on the belief that we each possess a foundation of greatness. When that foundation is recognized and honored, it is our pathway to Peak Performance.

In any great athlete/leader/team member or team, daily actions, values-driven routines, and disciplined practices enable Peak Performance; these individuals and teams first possess a peak-performing identity they seek to honor. And they have built disciplined routines to honor that identity.

Clarify Your How and Why

Success in life starts with a vision of a desired future. If we begin with a vision of our peak-performing best self, we will be providing the base from which we can realize all the other visions we have for our lives.

Who you are is not found in what you are doing, it is in the how and why of your doing.

Your how is:

• your Guiding Principles/Core Values/Values. When you honor them, you like yourself and being with those who honor the same values. They are the filters for our best decision-making.

Your why is:

• your Purpose for what you are doing today. What is deeply meaningful for you to do?
• your Vision for the future you hope to create from your daily actions; it inspires you.

As we start this series on habits, we each need to recognize our personal and/or organizational identity at our peak-performing best. Ask yourself, How do I operate at my best in service of what I am deeply committed to making possible?

With this foundation for peak-performing greatness in place, we can build disciplined and purposeful routines to enable our desired visions to become a reality.

We hope you enjoy this journey with us. – Fritz