Tag: bad habits

Categories
accountability motivation

Stop wasting your life!

How much time do we spend doing wasteful things? We all have time-wasting bad habits that can burn up our time in creative ways. Do any of these sound familiar?

  • Did that one episode turn into a binge-watching bonanza that lasted through the night?
  • Do you find yourself munching down on the Halloween candy that was meant for the trick-or-treaters?
  • How about that one Twitter thread that was a train wreck of ideas, but you just couldn’t stop scrolling?

I won’t say which ones are my bad habits. But lets face it, we all know how to wast time.  An article from Inc. Magazine got my attention. My big takeaway is to consider how much time per hour that bad habit is costing you. Could you be doing something more productive instead of that bad habit? Is it costing you more than you thought?

For the most part, that advice holds up. Unfortunately, I can scarf down candy like it is going out of style. Wait, did I just confess one of my bad habits?

We all need a few moments of diversion and we can’t be productive twenty-four seven. However, the tip from the article reminds me that time is precious and we need to consider what choices affect us in the long run.

Categories
motivation

Failure is Success if…

Failure is success if we learn from it

Malcom Forbes in Brainyquote.com

That is the whole key to success. Success isn’t about doing everything right the first time. If it is that easy for you, then you probably aren’t living up to your potential. After all, how do you know what your limits are if you’ve succeeded at everything you’ve set out to do?

The challenge is to learn from it. We humans can get stuck at doing the same foolish thing over and over again. Addictive behaviors, negative thinking patterns and unhealthy habits can make us believe we can never escape from failure.

It reminds me of the verse found in Proverbs 26:11. As a dog returns to his vomit… what a repulsive image! Yet when we don’t learn from our failures and repeat unhealthy behaviors, whe are like the dog and the fool who returns to his folly.

Let’s learn from our failures. They don’t have to hold us down. We can use them as a springboard to success.

Categories
motivation

Of Dogs and Fools

I’ve had a few dogs over the years. The one thing they had in common is that they did things that just weren’t good for them.

And yes, I’ve seen dogs do what the following proverb says:

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.

Proverbs 26:11

You would think dogs know better. You would also think we humans would know better. We frequently do things that aren’t good for us.

  • Eat or drink to excess
  • Get involved in bad relationships
  • Zone out on television or other media
  • Repeat bad habits in work or personal life
  • Speak something we know we shouldn’t say

This proverb reminds me of how repulsive a bad habit can be. Before we return to that foolishness once again, let us consider how foolish it is to do the same mistake again and expect a different, better result.

Categories
motivation

Clean Slate

The past can feel like a clutter of regrets the wrong choices and burdens. It can be easy to play the what-if game.

  • What if my parents did this instead of that?
  • What if my family was rich?
  • What if I had a different set of friends?
  • What if I made a different decision then?
  • What if I didn’t start that bad habit?

Our life can become a cluttered room of past choices if we hold onto things. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Every new day gives us a clean slate. Instead of holding onto regrets, we can choose to learn from the past, let go of it and move forward.

  • We can choose a better habit today
  • We can be thankful for a lesson learned and make a better choice today
  • We can begin to clean the mental clutter by writing down what happened
  • We can forgive others as well as ourselves

Whatever your story, whatever your past, today is a brand new day. It is a clean slate. Start cleaning and make the best of it.

Categories
morning people motivation

Keep getting back up

If there is one thing I’ve learned from searching for work in Arizona, and now Ohio, it’s this: Get up every day.

That may sound too simple, but I’ve seen so many people trip over this truth. When you don’t have a job to go to, and you aren’t freelancing, it can be tempting to sleep in or decide it’s too much work to leave the house. Push back on that temptation! Get up early and get out the door!

I am thankful I’ve had the chance to ride with my wife each morning. It has been so important for me to keep the morning ritual going. I get so much done when I start the day the same time each day.

This has allowed me to get some writing done, search for the next great opportunity and set up networking appointments. It has also allowed me to do volunteer work for the church she serves. So if you are in a transition, don’t let bad habits. Get up early, rise consistently, and let’s get some work done!