This week I’m talking about 2 of the habits I’ve found that have had the most impact in making my life better in partnership with Vega to announce the launch of their dairy-free, Cashewmilk Yogurt Alternative. You’ve likely seen Vega before at your grocery store. They make a lot of vegetarian and vegan protein powders, bars, and other supplements that cater to people trying to improve themselves, so it seemed to fit well with this topic.
One of the most defining aspects of any person is their habits. The small things they do day in and day out paint a picture that can tell you so much more about them.
Let’s do a little experiment. What type of person do you visualize when I say they go for a run a few mornings a week? How about someone who reads a new non-fiction book every month?
The runner gives me the image that they’re a driven, health conscious person. They’re likely doing well enough financially, are pretty fit, and happy. The reader? I see someone who wants to constantly learn and better themselves. They think through their actions and plan ahead.
What’s great about habits is that you can use them to make yourself into the type of person you want to be. Just visualize the type of person you want to be and think about what their habits are.
Neither of the examples I mentioned above are hard to do. They’re not expensive or very time consuming, and anyone could start them today.
Regardless of what habits you decide are the best fit for you, there are two I think everyone should try.
1. Try at least 1 new thing each week
2. Find 1 new way to improve yourself every month
I know these are pretty vague, so let me dive a little deeper.
1. Try at least 1 new thing every week
You don’t have to start with anything drastic.
It could be as simple as trying a new restaurant, shopping at a different grocery store, or hiking a new trail.
Another way is to say yes to people inviting you to do things a lot more. For example, I had a friend who asked me to walk on the runway for his fashion brand. I only had 2 days notice, and it wasn’t something I normally would opt to do… but I did, and I had an awesome time. It took me completely out of my comfort zone, and I met some interesting people in the process.
As they say, at the end of the day you’re much more likely to regret the things you never tried than the things you did.
We are the sum of all of our experiences, so cast a wide net and soak up all that life has to offer.
2. Find 1 new way to improve yourself every month
Progress doesn’t come in big leaps in bounds but small experiences. A little here and there adds up to a lot over time.
It’s like putting some money in the stock market. You may not make a killing every year, but after 30 years of 7% compound interest $100,000 turns into $761,225. Put another way, if you improve yourself by 7% every year, you’re going to be a 7 times better person in 30 years. (1.07 ^30 = 7.61)
A more modest and quick goal of improving yourself by .3% every couple weeks over 5 years would make you a 48% better person. (1.003^((52 weeks*5 years)/2 weeks)= 1.476)
I know the math can’t relate perfectly to self improvement, but you get the point. Little improvements make a bit difference over time.
You can read a book related to something in your life you’re trying to improve, start adding 20 pushups twice a week to your workout, or change out something in your diet you know you shouldn’t be eating.
I meet lots of people who go on crash diets and COMPLETELY change their entire eating habits all at once. That is incredibly hard. Sure, there are people who can pull it off, but the majority of people are likely to fall back into their old habits.
I like to concentrate on smaller steps. I used to add both milk and sugar to my coffee. I realized one day how much sugar I was adding to my diet every year and decided to drink my coffee black from then on. It took a while to get used to the taste, but now I actually prefer it.
Over time that same tactic has allowed me to cut a lot of sugar out of my diet, almost completely eliminate eating any grains, and reduce the amount of dairy I eat. It didn’t happen at once. The slow progression allowed me to find substitutes for each thing I was giving up. It took a lot less willpower, and the slow change allowed my lifestyle to change along with my goals at a natural pace.
You don’t have to have amazing willpower to make yourself into the person you want to be. Just don’t set goals that require changing huge pieces of your life at once.
If you’re looking for something new to try, I like the vanilla flavor of Vega’s new yogurt the best. They also have most protein per serving than any other plant based yogurt alternatives and 7 grams of sugar (a lot less than many others). Switching one of these for a less healthy snack is another simple improvement on your way to greatness 🙂
