Form a New Habit This Year

January 6, 2022 · by Peter Lundell · in Entries

One of the best gifts you can give yourself this year is to form a new habit.

I used to set goals I usually didn’t reach because I didn’t focus on the process. That is, I didn’t create habits that when consistently practiced would naturally result in the goal. I wish I had internalized then what I’m writing to you now. You may or may not be familiar with the significance of habits, but they are the mundane building blocks of most best things in life.

Can you identify area in your life that would benefit by changing or forming a new habit?
Do you have the will to do so?
These tips may help.

Make it easy to succeed.
You may need to change something in your environment—remove, change, or add. Get rid of junk food; make the TV less accessible; put an internet filter on your computer. (CleanBrowsing.org is the best in my experience). Or add a new habit onto an existing one; if you pray each morning, add reading a chapter or more of the Bible.

Repeat a habit until it becomes natural.
An effective habit that moves you toward positive change and growth is one you can easily do and then repeat without even having to think about it. At the beginning you may have to act very deliberately, but keep it simple, easy to do, and in relation to something you already do. Years ago I started drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning. Then I started adding apple cider vinegar to it. I started by making myself do it because it was good for me. But each habit became so natural that now I wouldn’t think of doing it any other way. And I do it without thinking.

Make it a game or reward yourself.
Phone apps can be a strong benefit here. Simple ones like Coach.Me are checklists; they boost a sense of accomplishment (this works for me). Apps like Habitica turn habits into an online game; they make habits a way to have fun. If you work well by rewards, establish a goal or quota for habits performed, then reward yourself with something.

Aside from the direct intervention of God—which I love best—consistent habits are the day-in-day-out stepping stones toward life transformation.

I pray you will establish a new habit that will become natural to you and move you toward life change and growth. If you do, let me know.

Peter Lundell
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