Today we’re going to be looking at one area that you need to focus on, to help make sure that you achieve the goals that we set out seven blogs (& linked videos) ago. That key area is being able to build good patterns, or habits, in your life.

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Human beings are creatures of habit, most things repeat time and time again as patterns, for example, we sleep most nights. Well, we should sleep every night! We should eat regularly, exercise regularly, and make sure all these elements are built into a pattern.

So, when we build these things into patterns or habits, we know what cadence and rhythm these patterns are going to produce. We find that we achieve more because we are expecting to complete each phase of these patterns. And in doing so, we will achieve the whole result we desired at the beginning.

Business organisations know this because they go through planning cycles, which is their form of building patterns into the things they do. They also put patterns into their business processes to make it simpler for people to perform the required tasks. They create these patterns so that they are repeatable by others later.

So, why shouldn’t you be taking the same approach with your life? By building good patterns into your life, you are making sure you’re more likely to achieve the goals you set for yourself.

Twenty-One Times Before it Becomes a Habit

I have read material from some experts that say you have to do something a minimum of twenty-one times before it becomes a habit.  Now in my experience, I find that sometimes this is true and sometimes it isn’t! It all comes down to how much you are motivated to do that specific thing.

But, eventually, if you keep going, you will arrive at the point where you do have a good habit formed. On the other hand, it’s very easy for us to pick up bad habits. I’m sure you have realized that fact many times. How much easier is it for you to NOT go to the gym that day? How easy is it to NOT get up the extra half hour in the morning, just so you don’t get those difficult things done! You then usually end up kicking yourself afterwards thinking, “why didn’t I do this!”

Building Good Patterns

Now by building good patterns into your own life, it means you’re more likely to achieve your goals and less likely to miss things. The reality is; that extra half hour that you might borrow from the beginning of the day you could always make up at the end of the day.  Otherwise, you are going to find yourself potentially building bad habits within your patterns.

Did you really need to watch that movie? Or really need to browse YouTube for the last three hours? And do you really need to look at all those cat pictures on Facebook? These are kind of the choices you must make around how you build your most productive patterns in life.

Therefore, are you going to choose to build good positive habits that move you in the right direction? Are you going to work hard to create those patterns and habits?

Initially, you may have to consciously put effort into performing them each day? But, by keeping on repeating them they become just part of your unconscious routine of everyday things. Allowing you to achieve all the goals you set out for yourself.

Or are you just going to leave yourself without any good and positive patterns, without any good habits and until you realize that you’re still looking at those cat pictures!