Good habits are so hard to build sometimes. This is why it’s crucial that we surround ourselves with a positive, encouraging environment. If you want to finally achieve that goal of eating healthier, it is counterproductive to fill your space with junk food and non-nutritive snacks. In the same way, if you desire to live a life of integrity and high moral fiber, or even just make better decisions in your day-to-day, then it would be to your detriment to remain around the people in your life who encourage you to do otherwise.
Within the Christian worldview, there is a group of people referred to as “godly community” who are individuals who encourage one another in the faith and provide accountability to help each other live a life that is pleasing to God. There is also a popular verse in the Bible that states:
“Bad company corrupts good character”
1 Corinthians 15:33 NLT
Another translation suggests that evil company is the downfall of good habits. Take a moment to identify the positive changes that you have been attempting to implement in your life. Perhaps you’d like to wake up earlier. Maybe you want to be more productive with your day and practice better time management (especially if you control your schedule and/or work from home on a regular basis). These things are usually easier to achieve when distractions are removed and poor habits are replaced with better ones. For example, it has often been said that a productive/early morning begins with the preparation of the night before. Going to bed earlier, creating a schedule, and setting out what you need the night before an early morning can make rising the next day much less dreadful and is likely to increase your productivity tremendously.
In a similar way, setting yourself up to make better choices will likely need to include you taking an inventory of your current decision-making so that you can accurately determine what changes need to be made in the first place. Then, once you’ve identified the problem choices, take an honest look at your influences (i.e. social media, friendships, co-worker relationships, etc.) and weed out the things that have contributed to you repeating the same cycle of poor decision-making. You may find that this is too difficult or complicated for you to implement on your own. That’s okay. Enlist some help!
As you identified the negative influences in your life, you probably glazed over some positive ones. Consider asking one of those people to hold you accountable and support you through this transition. Alternatively, this may be a time to also consider working with a counselor. These are trained individuals who can provide you with that support system as you work on improving your quality of life. One last option, for additional reinforcement or a simple start, would be to unfollow/unsubscribe from content that promotes what you are currently struggling with (i.e. if you have an issue with retail therapy, content heavy with shopping “hauls” are probably not a good idea right now). Instead, begin replacing that content with new options that feed the parts of you that you are trying to improve (i.e slow fashion content).
Whatever the good habit you desire to implement is, I hope that you will consider changing your environment to give yourself that additional boost and improve your chances of success. I’m rooting for you!
‘Til next time.
Photo courtesy of Travis Jones via Unsplash
Words For The Temple 