My sister-in-law Joy Brown writes a weekly newsletter full of interesting tidbits of information for chiropractors to distribute to their practice members. In this week’s, Your Healthy Tidbits she included a great one that says, “The most important part of any new habit is getting started…” I couldn’t agree more.
Ms. Joy Brown
Now it’s that time of year when many people reassess their lives and resolve to start exercising, eating right, watching TV less and reading more, etc. We all know that we can improve our family’s lives in many ways – and the most meaningful of these are often the simplest building blocks of wholesome living that we all learned as small children ourselves. So, if it’s so simple then why does it become such a struggle to us?
Often we make good decisions and determine a course of action but then, for whatever reason we procrastinate. The great philosophers have talked about the problem for thousands of years. Here’s my favorite:
There is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too…Whatever you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. – Johnann Wolfgang von Goethe
Another really simple way to express this idea was brilliantly put out in an advertising campaign by a shoe manufacturer when Nike said, “Just do it!”
It’s obvious then that the magic ingredient is, just like Joy said, to get started. Joy also said, “It’s about consistently taking action.” Inactivity ultimately brings failure, so perhaps the most important idea in all of this is not to be afraid. We won’t be perfect at first. Mistakes will happen anyway so why not get started into a better life now?
For more ideas on this subject you may wish to read the two-minute rule: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-stop-procrastinating-and-stick-good-habits-using-the-2-minute-rule.html