Any activity, if done repeatedly and continuously, becomes ingrained in us and turns into a habit. This activity becomes a second nature to us and eventually we do it almost subconsciously. Habits are good because they free our mind to do routine actions automatically so we can focus on more important activities.
The habit we form can either be good or, unfortunately, bad for us such as smoking, or tardiness, or having a negative attitude in almost anything —and the sooner we break them, the better for us.
Good habits, on the other hand, should be nurtured and develop further for they make us perform easily actions that are beneficial to us like exercising, or waking up early, or having a sunny disposition.
But did you know that we can also form the habit of achieving success in our personal endeavours or in business? Building a successful business also needs good habits. This is possible if we keep on repeating the following steps:
- Always set daily goals. Make it a point to start your day with a plan. Prepare a list of activities every night for the following day. These are short-term goals you hope to achieve for that particular day. Make them doable within a day’s work to make sure you can complete them. These daily accomplishments are a good way to make achieving success your habit.
- Set a benchmark for success. Every one of us has our own definition of success. Take some time to think what is important enough that you consider as success to you. You can have really big plans for the success of your business. However, for our purpose of developing a habit, short, practical and achievable targets should be set for each day. Daily accomplishments of these short term goals will slowly build your confidence and motivate you to do the same the next day and the day after until such time when succeeding becomes a second nature in you.
- Be systematic. Learn to organize your life and you can start by simply organizing your workplace. See to it that your desk is free from unnecessary clutters like unfiled documents, broken stapler, unsharpened pencils, etc. A clear desk influences a clear mind. Have a filing cabinet nearby so as not to waste time searching for documents. Cleanliness and orderliness are also habits you can develop.
- Work on your relationships. Unlike in a giant corporation where company-customer relationships are too impersonal, it is easier for your small business to connect with customers and maintain closer and more personal relations with them. Relationship is of vital importance in the growth and success of business. Think of ways to improved further in this area of your enterprise. Try to offer services to your clients that go a little more or beyond their normal expectation. Word of mouth is a powerful tool in expanding your customer base.
- Be aware of bad habits. The best way to remove bad habits is to replace them with good ones. Analyze the useless, expensive, and time-wasting practices in your operation that are unproductive. Examples of these are being addicted to social media, or the habit of postponing tasks for later. Are you amiss in following-up customers? Replace these bad habits wit effective and efficient measures. Limit your hours with social media and attend to your more important tasks instead. Reward yourself each time you succeed in overcoming your urge to socialize in the internet or when you are able to complete an important task at the end of the day. Exert extra effort to stick to your plan consistently. You will be pleasantly surprised that these productive activities become second nature to you in no time at all.
- As the Romans say,“Festina lente”. It means: “hasten slowly”. Rome was not built in a day and so is your goal to replace your bad habits with good ones. It may take time, depending on your dedication and commitment to do so. What you need is consistency and focus on your plan. Avoid trying to accomplish a complete overhaul of your bad habits in one sitting. You are bound to fail and this may frustrate and disappoint you, cause you to give up your good intention, and fall back to your old habits. Do not bite more than what you can chew. Work on one bad habit at a time until you are able to successfully eliminate them all. This will facilitate consistency and long-term maintenance of those good habits.
Habits can make or break you so be careful of choosing which one you will throw out of your life and which you will keep and maintain for your success!