In Episode 9 of the Power Your Platform Podcast, we talk about the importance of building story habits that stick.
As you probably know already, habits are a HOT topic in the business world today.
The reason the topic of habits is such a popular one these days, is because business owners are realizing that it doesn’t matter if you have a great framework or system that gets you results – if you’re not implementing it consistently by building it into your calendar, then all you’ve got is a great action plan with no impact.
One of my favourite books on this subject is “Badass Habits” by Jen Sincero. In it, she writes “Contrary to popular belief, habits are more about who you’re being than what you’re doing.” Wow, right?
So let’s break that down a bit.
Who are YOU being when you show up to your life every day? Are you a person who takes action? Or a person who procrastinates? Are you deciding to be a person who’s focused? Or a person who’s easily distracted? Are you showing up as a person who’s driven by purpose? Or overwhelmed by public perception?
Who we’re being ultimately determines what we’re doing which of course leads to our habits.
But the great news is this: we can intentionally show up differently in our lives every single day, and develop new habits simply by focusing on a new way of being.
1. Create a Habits Inventory.
And be honest with yourself: what are the habits you’re proud of in your life, and which ones are holding you back from success?
If you’re struggling, get a close friend or family member to help you zero in on some of your great and not-so-great habits. But brace yourself, you may hear some things you don’t want to hear.
And that’s OK. Because growth is going to cause you some discomfort, so it’s a good idea to get into that mindset right from the start.
Once you’ve created your habits inventory, it’s time to move on to Step 2.
2. Replace Your To Do List with your To Be List.
Because we’ve already established that creating new habits and getting rid of old ones isn’t about doing things differently, it’s about being different.
This is going to take some self-reflection, but that’s OK because investing the time to get to the heart of your purpose and practices is never time wasted.
Ask yourself: if I’m going to adopt this new habit – for example, being more punctual for meetings – then who do I have to be in order to make that happen?
Using this example, I would ask myself: who am I being when I show up on time for meetings? I would say that makes me a person who respects other people’s time as well as my own.
So if my goal habit is to be more punctual, I could commit to becoming a person who respects my own time as well as the time of others and over time, that state of being, becomes a state of doing.
3. Create Your Own 21-Day Habit Challenge.
This is a 3-week commitment to your new INTENTIONAL way of being.
Of course, it's hard to do alone. You might want to consider finding an accountability partner by asking a friend or colleague -- or a Story Coach -- to join you in your habit journey.
Another idea is to join our free Power Your Platform Facebook group where we can cheer each other on together.
If you're a woman speaker, leader or entrepreneur who's looking to build her story brand, we'd love to see you there!