One of them is talking about money
Most of us know that daily routines shape our lives. And just about everyone wants to build better habits. The problem is, we barely validate our current routines and thinking patterns.
Instead, we often mistake certain habits as negative even though they might actually add lots of value to our daily lives. In fact, we often focus on building and avoiding the wrong routines because we only look at the surface. The real power of habits, however, is often hidden behind.
Some patterns might not have an immediate impact on your life but subtly change how you think and behave in the long run.
Here are some of them:
Asking for Help
Modern success stories often make us believe that big successes are the result of one single person.
It seems as if Steve Jobs built Apple on his own and if Elon Musk is the only superbrain responsible for SpaceX.
Similarly, we easily get fooled by social media when looking at the daily Instagram stories of our favorite celebrities. We see our favorite creators looking beautiful, eating healthy, and taking care of their kids with ease.
What we don’t see is that they have a team that does their make-up, prepares delicious meals, and entertains the kids when mommy is busy recording Instagram stories.
Don’t get fooled into believing you need to master life on your own.
You can’t be great at everything and asking for help is the greatest form of self-care you can practice.
Quite often, we want to get everything done on our own because we’re too proud to ask for help and don’t want to come across as weak.
The reality, however, is that asking for help is a strength, not a weakness.
There’s no point in spending five hours on a task if an expert could do it in ten minutes.
Don’t let your fear of being judged stop you from asking for help when you feel stuck.
“Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new.”
— Barack Obama
Comfortably Talking About Money
In most countries, talking about money is worse than talking about sex.
While this might not sound like a big deal, it’s one of the primary reasons for. the lack of financial literacy in our society.
If you can’t even talk about something, how can you learn to manage it?
Even though most people try to deny it, money plays a massive role in our lives. Money itself might not make you happy, but the absence of it will surely make you unhappy.
Changing your mind from I shouldn’t talk about money to talking about money is necessary and fun can be your stepping stone to creating a better relationship with your finances.
This will also help you let go of the pressure around money because keeping secrets is always a burden. By talking about your income, expenses, and investments, you can let go of some anxiety and view your financial journey as a natural process.
However, this doesn’t mean you should post your paycheck on social media and let everyone know how much you spend on groceries. It’s more about improving your money-consciousness than sharing your numbers with others.
If you’re not doing it yet, your first step could be tracking and reviewing your income and expenses.
You can download a free tracking app on your smartphone and review your finances weekly or monthly.
Most people don’t even check their bank accounts because they’re afraid of facing their financial reality. By tracking and reviewing your expenses, you can easily improve your relationship with money.
Once that’s done, you could ask your partner or close friends to discuss money-related topics.
Again: This doesn’t mean you need to reveal all your numbers and secrets. You might start by talking about budgeting, how much you spend on certain items, or your favorite tips to save money.
Every conversation around money is better than none because it helps you be more aware of your resources.
“People don’t feel comfortable about money because they have it; they have it because they feel comfortable about it.”
Tapping Out of Your Routines
Most self-improvement gurus preach how essential routines and strong habits are. And while that’s true, they often forget to emphasize how regularly tapping out of these routines can make them even more powerful.
Even though our lives can become significantly easier through meaningful habits, these routines shouldn’t hold us back from living life to the fullest.
If you’re always stuck in the same pattern without ever daring to tap outside, you’ll likely miss many opportunities and unique chances to experience beautiful memories.
This is particularly important for creative minds and those pursuing a career that requires a high level of productivity as well as creativity (e.g., writing).
Repetition can lead to increased productivity, but spontaneity is the sister of creativity.
If you follow the same structures and patterns day in and day out, you don’t leave any room for unexpected discoveries and surprises.
“If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine. It’s lethal.”
Being a Little Selfish
Most of our historical heroes have one thing in common: They sacrificed themselves or their comfort for the common good. Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, or Martin Luther King Jr., just to name a few.
Their sacrifices and courage are why we memorize their names and remind ourselves of their generous acts.
And quite often, we might think of these heroes and believe we’re not as good as them if we don’t sacrifice parts of our lives as well.
But the truth is that this comparison doesn’t make much sense.
There’s a big difference between making a real impact in the world and trying to please everyone around you.
The former doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to sacrifice yourself. The latter, however, often ends up in frustration and a lack of self-worth.
If we always try to please those around us, we mostly neglect our own desires and needs. As a result, we lack energy and passion, making it way harder to show up as our best selves.
The harsh reality is that you can’t please everyone anyway. There will always be people who don’t like how you do certain things or don’t understand why you do what you do.
But guess what? Their opinions shouldn’t matter.
We all have one single life and the painful truth is that nobody will help you live an extraordinary life if you don’t allow yourself to do so.
Sometimes, being a little selfish and prioritizing yourself can make all the difference.
This might mean canceling a date to spend some time alone, saying no to someone or something, or just prioritizing your own needs before helping others.
“You can’t really be present for the people in your life if you aren’t taking care of yourself.”
— Kerry Washington
Dreaming About the Process
We often judge dreamers and praise the action-takers.
But research proves that visualizing the process of how you achieve a particular goal can actually help you create better results.
For decades, self-help gurus were preaching how visualizing an outcome would help you to achieve your goals.
But in 2011, researchers at the New York University found out that visualizing an outcome is destructive, not beneficial.
That’s because visualizing the final state you want to achieve makes you believe you already accomplished it. And this might diminish your motivation to actually take action and make things happen.
Visualizing the process, however, is different as it helps us follow through on the action and actually achieve our goals.
While visualizing yourself sitting at a beach, sipping cocktails might decrease your chances for achievement. Visualizing how you master your craft and get things done, however, can indeed help you get closer to your goals.
“Visualization is daydreaming with a purpose.”
― Bo Bennett
Wasting Some Time
While laziness is not particularly interesting, taking time for recovery isn’t only recommended but necessary.
In our output-driven economy, we often find ourselves in a doom loop of working more, achieving bigger goals, and taking less time for recovery.
The reality, however, is that we all need some time to sharpener our saw. You can’t give 100% all the time and you don’t need to.
Even though life is too short to waste lots of time, this doesn’t apply to taking some time off to relax, unwind, and let your mind wander. Nobody can operate at peak efficiency and creativity all the time and the sooner you take some time off, the earlier you’ll reach your goals.
If you need to wait in line at the grocery store, wait in peace. Don’t check your emails to use that time productively.
If the bus is late, take those few minutes to think of something you’re grateful for.
We all need these downtimes to recharge and refresh. Don’t judge yourself for wasting a few minutes of your day by disconnecting from the outer world and listening to your inner guidance.
“Taking time to do nothing often brings everything in perspective.”
— Doe Zantamata
Written by
Entrepreneur, Coach & Dreamer. I write about Personal Growth & Business. 🇦🇹 🇹🇷 Grab your Personal Growth Toolkit: http://bit.ly/pgtk0320 I IG: sinem.guenel
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