Becoming What You Do: The Importance of Daily Habits

by Alexa Le

Famous business executive Sean Covey once remarked, “Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do.” Essentially, our success and failures are a collection of our actions which shapes the entirety of our lives.

These days, when staying home makes days seem to stretch on endlessly, it’s easy to hit the snooze button or watch one more hour of television.. You may find yourself unmotivated and sluggish, simply going through the motions and not working as hard as you usually would. This can lead you down a very dangerous road. By implementing healthy habits through a strong sense of discipline these detrimental mannerisms can easily be stifled.

A habit is a behavior which you repeat on a daily basis, to the extent that it becomes almost automatic. On average, it takes about 66 days for a certain behavior to become automatic. Good habits, such as meditating or setting a daily reading hour, can counter self-destructive habits, like staying up late or scrolling on your phone until your eyes ache.
When you wake up in the morning, you are much more likely to be content and productive if you wake up happy. If you wake up late and do not start your day with the right practices, you might feel as though you lack control of your life and the world around you, which can quickly snowball into something much more harmful. Following through with your morning habits will leave you feeling satisfied. This initial feeling of productivity will fuel the rest of your day and encourage you to continue being your best self.

It’s not enough to plan to do something. Making a to-do list is simply not enough. It lures you into a false sense of efficiency when you have really only outlined something. You must first take action, even when there is no motivation behind it. It is much easier to continue being productive once you have already committed to action., This universal principle can be applied to any and all situations.​

Ultimately, what sets apart the ordinary from the extraordinary is discipline and work ethic. It makes the difference between feeling as though you can take on the world and wanting to hide in bed forever. Today, challenge yourself to commit to a new healthy habit, one that inspires happiness and that you repeat each day. Who knows, in 66 days you might just find yourself living a healthier, more fulfilling life.