(Forbes) -- Your habits will either make or break your existence as it directly affects your source of happiness and success.
Some habits are more powerful than others and simply put; your everyday habits determine your attitude and future progress both in life and in your career.
The following are ten powerful habits that will improve your life and career direction.
- Practice Meditation
Meditation is a powerful habit that trains your mind to relax by freeing it from negative or stressful thoughts. It not only cleanses your mind and promotes a sense of calm, but it also assists with reducing stress; one of the major causes sleep deprivation and fatigue. When you meditate, you also increase your cognitive and creative thinking skills which make you highly efficient in your career. Thus, the temptation to engage in other harmful habits such as smoking, excessive alcohol intake and gambling is significantly reduced. In summary, meditation will keep you healthy and improve your performance in every aspect of your daily life.
- Practice Gratitude
Often overlooked, gratitude is a powerful practice that brings enormous changes to your life and career. Generally, in our lives and careers, a positive and grateful attitude unlocks opportunities for personal and professional growth. A simple “thank you” makes you seem more friendly, attractive and trustworthy to others.
The regular practice of gratitude enhances your psychological health by reducing toxic emotions such as acrimony, thereby increasing your levels of happiness day in, day out. You will eventually start feeling more resilient to traumatic and stressful events, with a reduced temptation to react, thus helping you make better decisions.
- Self Motivation
In simpler terms, self-motivation is the ability to stay motivated for one’s own interest. It is a key ingredient to living a successful life as it allows you to discover your strengths and weaknesses by which you can fortify the former and overcome the latter. Self-motivation also allows you to become more independent from external factors and you go about in achieving your goals based on your abilities.
With regular practice, you will experience more self-discipline in your everyday life as you are able to control your thoughts and actions which bring out your best attributes. You will be able to stay focused on your goals and accomplish them effectively.
- Overcome Fear of Failure
The fear of failure is a harmful and negative habit that stops individuals from achieving their potential. Though it is impossible to go through life without experiencing failure, overcoming your fear of failure is a giant step that will guide your life and career in the right direction.
The foremost step in ridding your life from fear is to embrace failure as a learning process; when you learn from your mistakes, you develop both in your personal and professional life. Begin by exploring all possible outcomes in any given situation so that you have knowledge of potential benefits and consequences.
- Have a Clear Vision
Your vision is the road map of your life that guides you to your intended destination and also focuses your efforts with persistent zeal. Having a clear vision helps you remove factors that obstruct you from achieving what matters most.
When you develop a vision with a brighter and better future, it enhances your productivity and empowers you to make the necessary changes needed to have a successful life and career. Only your vision allows you to transform your dreams into achievable realities by giving you a sense of purpose to get through in your life and career.
- Invest in Self Care
In the fast-paced world, we live in, we often forget how vital it is to care for ourselves. A failure to do sometimes leads to physical discomfort and deterioration in our performance levels.
Self-care refers to the activities which are done regularly to reduce stress and boost our long-term well being. Some common examples include maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly and getting enough sleep. Ultimately, proper self-care increases your levels of productivity both personally and in your career by reducing the risk of fatigue.
- Active Listening
The concept of good communication involves both listening and hearing; which are two entirely different things. Listening is a conscious process of paying full attention and focus on what you hear and fully understanding it. It is a powerful habit to develop as it has a massive influence on your personal and professional relationships. Good listening skills can help to expand your knowledge base and reduce misunderstandings with others. Active listening also makes you more likable which creates a feeling of goodwill in your relationships.
- Self Development
Self-development involve investing in yourself so you are better prepared to manage the challenges that may come your way. This concept allows you to identify the values and beliefs you wish to pursue in your life and career. It also determines the major areas of your life that need improvement.
This way, you can further develop your skills for a better sense of direction to increase your value. Furthermore, self-development allows you to nurture your skills and make most of your relationships in life.
- Maintain Positive Relationships
Having strong relationships are vital habits that bring positive changes in your life and career. Humans are social animals, and our success is largely built on the type of relationships we have with others.
The more you get along with someone, the easier it is to live or work together. Positive relationships provide you with much-needed support in tough times, and it is the best way to stay strong and optimistic.
- Avoid Self Comparison
As humans, most times, it is inevitable not to compare your achievement to others.
However, this habit can lead to a negative spiral as it has many shortcomings.
To combat this negative habit, recognize your uniqueness and what makes you special as your gifts and talents are exclusive to only you.
Also, celebrate your accomplishments and push yourself to achieve more; this will highlight your abilities and increase your personal confidence.
