Creating a habit is a good thing. When you live by them, it can alleviate large amounts of unwanted stress from your life. The more you follow those daily patterns, the more smoothly your day will go.
What happens when we become to robotic with our habits? Is there a time when we should kick them to the curb and live on the edge? Is there a such thing as being too habitual?
The Everyday Habit
Having a few habits that you follow everyday is actually a responsible and productive thing to do. When you know what you’re doing, it gives you a feeling of being in control, along with an instant dose of self-confidence.
There’s nothing wrong with going through that same ritual day in and day out. It allows us to save more brain power for other important decisions and constant developments throughout the day.
At the same time, we should allow a little wiggle room for the unexpected to happen. You must allow for mistakes and adapt and adjust, just in case your plans don’t go the way you thought.
Don’t Let Comfort Become A Habit
Going through the motions of your habits is comfortable, but it also doesn’t allow for growth. It can be disturbing when something happens out of the ordinary – it may even throw you off track.
Know that when something happens out of your daily routine, it’s okay. Take a breath and know that you can handle what needs to be done next. If you let it take a hold of your emotions, you’ve already lost.
When things happen unexpectedly, it gives you the opportunity to think past what you know. This gives you a chance to grow – as a result, you become more flexible with your thoughts and actions. It’s never a bad thing to get out of your comfort zone.
Give yourself the space to adjust. Create new habits and see if they’re more efficient than what you were doing before. You shouldn’t have the same exact habits you had five years ago. Show a little creativity and do it a different way.
Try Something New
Exploring a new place is an awesome way to escape your daily routine. It forces you to think a little more and to try something new.
If you happen to go on a vacation, don’t do the same thing that you would do at home. Eat something different, go to a museum or learn a new hobby. Being in a new place should spark new ideas – it defeats the purpose if you choose to do the same things that you would normally do.
Don’t be afraid to schedule a little spontaneity. Make time on a certain day to go out and “feel” your way through. If you turn left, see where turning right will take you. Get lost and find your way back. Eat spicy instead of mild. Go to a random public event. Accept the challenge and participate in a contest.
Whatever you do, just do your best at it. If you’re unable to find your way back, you can always use your GPS or (dare I say) walk up to someone and ask for directions. You don’t have to eat spicy ever again – now, you know what it really tastes like. Some things are better when you find out for yourself.
Everything is just an experience. You might make a new friend, develop a new hobby or find a new place you like to go. Make the time to do something out of your ordinary routine.
Create A New Habit
Throughout all of this, you’ve grown. You stretched your mind more than you usually do and it guided you to a new adventure. Instead of always asking someone what is it like, you have your own personal opinion to offer.
Keep your daily habits – no one is saying to give them up completely, but allow yourself some room to evolve.
Habits are great, but don’t forget to live a little. It doesn’t have to be a huge undertaking, but something as simple as shopping at a different grocery store can give you a nice challenge.
If you think your life is boring, drop your habits and live on the edge for a little while. Adventure will find you sooner than you think.
#BeGoalden