From WOLF to ALPHA: Habits: Built to Last a Lifetime

Note: This is a quick reminder to start with my original post, entitled “The Beginning: Foundations of Perspective and Identifying the Worries of Our World” to follow my WOLF to ALPHA process in order. Enjoy and thanks for stopping by!

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” Jim Ryun

Around 40% of the actions we perform on a daily basis are habitual in nature. Habits, good or bad, are typically formed through reinforcement and repetition, leading to a behavior or outcome that is carried out with minimal thought and conscious effort. In essence, we spend a substantial part of our day on “autopilot,” so why not set a course for a worthwhile destination? The formation of good habits, and the kicking of bad ones, have a profound influence on reshaping our daily lives for the better. In this part of the “From WOLF to ALPHA” process, we will explore how developing positive patterns of behavior and healthy habits, can help you stay committed to your plan of action, and not just reach, but smash the goals you have set for yourself!

If you are someone who enjoys scrolling through your phone in bed at night after a long day of working, parenting, adulting, and otherwise, then you should know that the quality and duration of your sleep following such a habit will very likely be negatively impacted. Your sleep habits have massive implications on your mental, emotional, and physical health. Sleep deprivation, which impacts roughly a third or more of us, can make you three times more likely to develop type two diabetes or catch a cold. Not catching enough ZZZs has also been linked to an increase in risk of obesity and heart disease by 50 and 48 percent respectively. (John Hopkins Medicine). By committing to a seemingly innocent, nightly act, such as scrolling for an hour before you close your eyes, can have unforeseen, short- and long-term consequences. Please check out the article below if you are interested in learning more about the importance of prioritizing your sleep. Now let’s continue.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-effects-of-sleep-deprivation

Let’s say you decide that you are tired of being tired at work and acknowledge that it’s best for you to spend more time dreaming, and less time scrolling. This epiphany leads you to develop a new routine, where your phone is placed screen down on the nightstand, the moment you enter bed, and barring an emergency, will not be touched until the rooster crows at dawn. You have broken free from the urge, the habit you have formed with your phone, and blessed yourself with an extra hour of sleep. An extra hour of sleep a night, is an extra 7 hours a week, 364 hours a year, or roughly 15 days’ worth of additional sleep annually! As a result of this new routine, you find that your performance at work, your relationship with your significant other, or your ability to get all of your children’s belongings in the car for school in the morning have improved. Your general mood, disposition, and outlook on the day see an uptick as well. Making an effort to remove what does not serve you, with a simple change, has brought you that much closer to your ALPHA state and has improved your quality of life. Check out the article below from Dr. Tchiki Davis, on Psychology Today, to get a comprehensive list of tips for building good habits.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-for-happiness/202106/17-tips-to-build-good-habits?msockid=1a66d616c43c66c825eec3d5c594672b

Routines, although tough to stick with at first, eventually become habits that we complete without much consideration, or energy into why we started doing them in the first place. The moment you start to question why you are waking up at 5 am to run before work, is the moment you lose sight of your goal for a healthy, and more confident you. Answer these questions with an unwavering commitment to seeing your goals through. Let your motivation for change, lead to consistent and unconscious action for growth. Below is our activity, entitled “Out with the Bad, in With the Good Habits.”

There is no set time for breaking bad habits, or creating good ones, it is entirely up to you. Some people quit smoking with nicotine gum, or a patch, or some methodical, weening process, while others simply quit and never look back. How much do you want to change your life? What are you willing to do, to sacrifice, to bring about such changes? YOU ARE STRONGER THAN YOU THINK, and TOUGHER THAN YOU REALIZE.

Here are some affirmations from Copilot to inspire you! Remember to write these down or say them out loud at least five times a day!

• I am resilient, and I embrace challenges as opportunities to improve.
• I trust the process and celebrate my progress, no matter how small.
• I build habits that align with the best version of myself.

I am proud of you for sticking with me and the “From WOLF to ALPHA” process this far. In my next post and final stage of becoming an ALPHA, entitled, “Achievement: Evidence of Your Inner ALPHA,” I will discuss how our achievements are the evidence and proof that we are capable of so much more than we realize.

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Man With a Plan