Ninety-five Percent of What You Do is the Result of Your Habits

"Ninety-five percent of what you do is the result of your habits, whether helpful or hurtful." 

(Brian Tracy)

I always considered my Grandad to be a very successful man.  So much of his life was governed by his good habits.  Every morning, he would wake up his daughter, my Aunty Marilyn, with two ties in his hand.  She would choose one for him to wear to the school where he taught.  That habit was a good bonding experience for father and daughter.  It was also good for my Grandad's students because they got to see a different tie each day rather than the same pattern and colour.    Every day, Grandad would stay after school for an hour to help the weaker students.  In 40 years of teaching, he never had a student who didn't like him.  Every day, he would walk to school (two miles there, two miles back).  He lived until he was 94 years old.   Every day, he would eat Grandma's dinner (often a casserole) and reply, "That was delicious, Dorothy!"  He was married for 62 years.  Every summer day, he cultivated his garden.  It bloomed until it took over his entire back yard.  Every visit with his grandchildren, he would tell us stories, often about his teaching career, punctuated by his hearty laugh.  He served as my inspiration to become a teacher.

Grandad had discovered the secret to success:  forming and keeping good habits.  Brian Tracy maintains that:  "Ninety-five percent of what you do is the result of your habits, whether helpful or hurtful."(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJ8f73e10l8) If you want to achieve new goals, here is Z. Hereford's seven step guide to forming and keeping a new habit (http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/develop-good-habits.html):

1.  Clearly decide on a specific habit.  For example, rather than saying "I will spend less time on Facebook," say "I will spend no more than 10 minutes a day on Facebook".  

2.  Never allow an exception to the rule.  If you spend 20 minutes on Wednesday on Facebook, don't start making excuses for your behaviour.  The next day, get right back to 10 minutes.

3.  Discover your triggers and obstacles.  For example, if you want to lose weight, and you eat when you get frustrated, be prepared.  Look for healthy ways of dealing with your frustration.

4.  Develop a plan.  For instance, Benjamin Franklin wanted to improve himself.  He listed 13 virtues that he wanted to acquire and spent 13 weeks trying to master each of these virtues.  He kept a journal of his progress and discovered that certain virtues helped the acquisition of other virtues.

5.  Employ visualization and affirmation.  Visualization is a powerful way to integrate a new habit into your routine.  "Affirmations program the subconscious with the right mindset for establishing a new habit".  

6.  Enlist the support of family and friends.  No one can do it alone.  If you are held accountable for your actions, there is a better chance you will stick to your plan.

7.  Find healthy ways to reward yourself.  Treat yourself to a new book, movie or concert.  If you are short on cash, visit a friend you haven't seen for a long time or go to a free art or history exhibit.  

I will leave you with this simple thought:  How can you expect to get different results if you keep using the same old habits?  Form new habits, lifelong habits like my Grandad did.  You will be on the road to success!

Note:  Read The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey https://www.amazon.ca/Habits-Highly-Effective-People-Powerful/dp/1455892823.

http://coachingpotentials.com/2015/07/30/first-we-make-our-habits-and-then-our-habits-make-us_our-daily-bread/

Benjamin Franklin: The Doors of Wisdom are Never Shut

"Being ignorant is not such a shame as being unwilling to learn." (Benjamin Franklin)

Although Benjamin Franklin was forced to quit school at the age of 10 and work, he devoted the rest of his life to the pursuit of knowledge.  Franklin opened the first subscription library which is still in operation today.

One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Franklin was born in the early 1700's.  While Franklin did not receive much of a formal education, he demonstrated a passion for learning.  Once he left school, he would devote "one or two hours a day immersed in books".  

His pursuit of knowledge continued into adulthood and he made a name for himself with the invention of the lightning rod, bifocals and Franklin stove.  Known as a thinker, Franklin started a society called Junto, a group of "like minded aspiring artisans and tradesmen who hoped to improve themselves while they improved their community.  They would gather every Friday at the alehouse and discuss politics, morals and philosophy.  Franklin wrote down possible questions to debate at each meeting.  Members included scientist Isaac Newton, astronomer David Rittenhouse and physician Benjamin Rush. (http://www.sciencefriday.com/blogs/07/04/2013/benjamin-franklin-america-s-first-social-networker.html)

The Junto members all enjoyed reading but books were rare and expensive in 18th Century America.  Franklin had a solution:  why not open a subscription library?  He suggested that the Junto members pool their money and buy books to be shared among the members.  He hired America's first librarian, Louis Timothee, to oversee the collection, which was called the Library Company of Philadelphia, which was later opened to the public.  Franklin said of his library:  "The doors of wisdom are never shut." (http://thirstyfish.com/index.php?p=511)

http://thirstyfish.com/index.php?p=511