Cultivating Lasting Habits 

By Rebekah Zehr, Parent Committee Coordinator

Hello friends!

It’s spring and some of us may have fallen off the New Year’s Resolution wagon by now.  So, now what?🤔

Well, don’t throw in the towel.  It’s time to reset and begin again!

How about developing some achievable, sustainable habits that will lead you to your goals?  I’ve got some tips to help you along the way.

1. Establish your goal and be specific.  Let’s say your goal is to read more (which may or may not be mine;). Decide on how many books and what types of books you want to read.
2. Choose 2-4 small, attainable habits.  Decide on habits that you can incorporate into your daily life.  The key is to make the habits so easy it will be impossible to fail.  Suppose your goal is to read one book/month.  One of your small, simple habits could be to read 1 page when you get in bed.  That does not have to be your maximum, but it will help you solidify the habit.  While you are at it, you may choose to crank out 5 more pages or even a whole chapter. These small, simple habits make it easy to be consistent.
3. Give yourself visual cues.  I have strategically placed books in specific places as a subtle reminder to open them:  a book on my bedside stand for bedtime and one on my table for lunchtime (which is usually a solo meal).  
4. Share your habits.  Find a friend who has similar goals who would be willing to take on the same goals.  I have a friend who, like me, is interested in nutrition and health.  She has become my reading buddy.  We choose books, set the amount of chapters in advance and once/week we share what we’ve learned.  It’s a great way to encourage and learn from each other. 
5. Be willing to adjust.  Six months from now, you may want to fine tune some of your original habits.  Maybe you will be ready to set more challenging goals.  Or perhaps you have been a little too unrealistic and need to pull back a bit.  Keep your vision of what you want to accomplish in mind.  By giving yourself some wriggle room you can avoid completely throwing in the towel.  
6. Keep going!  Your small habits each day will add up to something substantial down the road.

“Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” -Proverbs 16:3