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Year-End Prep: Examining Transformational Habits

Posted on By Angel Lewis
Habits are repeated action or an unconscious pattern of behavior. They affect all areas of our lives and determine how we make use of each day. Here, at the end of the year, you're probably reflecting on the results of the past 12 months. What was good, what was bad, and what needs to change. You will find a lot of advice about building habits and improving your daily routines, but the best advice you can take is that habits are built slowly. Have you ever tried to change your daily routine? That routine is part of who you have been for a while, and it takes time to let go of something that has become a part of you. By being intentional, you can cultivate habits that are in sync with your desired life. Let's look at some transformational habits to use in planning for the new year.
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Photo by MART PRODUCTION courtesy of Pexels.com

Self-introspection. Make it a habit to do a self-check. Sometimes we are our own stumbling blocks and we do not realize it. We behave in a self-sabotaging way. Therefore, we must learn to first look deep inside ourselves before we find anyone or anything else to blame for anything that is not going right in our lives. Look for your own weaknesses and areas that need to be improved and work on yourself. This will improve your relationships and your approaches as you work on your personal goals.


Listen more and talk less. When you learn to listen more you learn more from others. You do not only get valuable information related to your dreams, but you also understand them better and improve relationships. Listening also gives you enough time to think before you talk or react. It also helps you understand the contents of a discussion and lessens the chances of a misunderstanding or conflict.

Rest when you need to. Your body and mind require you to rest. Sometimes we stay up late trying to finish a task. Taking time to rest helps us refresh our minds such that when its time to return to the task our brains will function more efficiently and makes you more productive. Resting helps our muscles recover, reduces stress, gives us more energy, and improves our mood.


Set boundaries. Learn to say no to anything that is not in alignment with your goals. This includes saying no to your desires, your friends, and everyone else. Teach them to respect your routine and working time, and that your interests and goals matter too. Also, do not embrace excuses, they help you feel comfortable in your weaknesses.

Year End Reflection Workbook cover
Year-End Reflection Workbook
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'Dream' Gloggy Mug
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Year-End Reflection Journal Prompts
Have a schedule. Once you are up, and about, take some time to schedule out your day. By drawing up a daily schedule, you are focusing on your priorities, eliminating distractions, and helping you decide which things are most important to you. Having a schedule also offers you structure in your day, and this can be very useful for remaining motivated and engaged. It also sets out all your responsibilities clearly, and this can help prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by all you have to do or caught out by unexpected tasks.


Set deadlines. Deadlines can be an amazing way to focus the mind and help you achieve your goals. Rather than seeing them as restrictive or invasive, restructure your thinking to help you smash your goals and reduce procrastination. Challenge yourself to a certain deadline each day - you will feel amazing when you beat it! Setting deadlines also helps you to remain accountable for your actions, and this is an important element of self-development and improvement.

Recite your goals. This reminds you where each plan for the day is meant to take you. Remind yourself what you want to achieve every now and then. In other words, keep your eyes on the goal to avoid wasting time on things that do not bring value to your life.


Learn a lesson from challenges. Challenges happen for a reason. They could be from our own miscalculations of or from external forces. Regardless of the cause, there is always something to learn from them. These range from misunderstandings to failed businesses. Identify opportunities too where possible.

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Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva courtesy of Pexels.com

Show appreciation. Be grateful for your achievements and growth and learn to express genuine gratitude to others. Being grateful is at the heart of being intentional and making transformational changes. 


Reward yourself. We need to be easy going and not make everything about the future while forgetting to live in the present. Reward yourself when you achieve a goal or finish a task. It makes you feel good and motivates you to do more as you realize the results of committing to your goals. This further encourages you to cultivate more good habits.

Remember that your habits are comprised of your behaviors. Be intentional. Carefully choose what to do and how to do it in order to achieve your goals. Live a purposeful life. Transforming your life may seem like an immense task. Making small, simple changes to the habits into your daily routine will soon allow you to enjoy incredible, life-changing results.


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I hope you enjoyed this article. Please leave a comment or share it to help someone else through their journey with change. Is it time for you to pivot? Change can be difficult, but you don't have to walk that path alone.

 

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Author

  • Angel Lewis

    Hello there! I'm Angel, an entrepreneur and writer who grew up in rural North Carolina and now resides in Virginia. My love for writing began during my time at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC. Over the past couple of years, I've authored two nonfiction books in the personal development genre. Along with writing for adults, I also created 'Ready. Set. Fly!', a children's book that inspires self-confidence and resilience. When I'm not writing, I enjoy gardening, reading, playing games, and spending time with those closest to me.

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