“Champions don’t do extraordinary things. They do ordinary things, but they do them without thinking. They follow the habits they’ve learned.”― Charles Duhigg
If you have ever struggled in the process of realizing your potential, I think you will find the content of this article helpful. It is a concise distillation of power habits of successful humans on the planet.
For good or for bad, habits are the stuff of which human behaviors consist. We are where we are and who we are simply because of the habits we have formed.
Everything that we are now, and everything that we will ever be, is predominantly determined by the quality of the habits that we nurture.
Though good habits are hard to form, they are easier to live with, yet bad habits which are harder to live with are very easy to form. Therefore, it is up to you and I to make the right choice with regards to our regular behaviors.
And this is where self-discipline—the one factor most responsible for forming good habits and breaking bad ones— comes is into play.
Our ability to exercise intelligent control upon our choices of thought and action, is arguably single greatest quality that we can ever develop.
Now, let’s move ahead with the first key habit of effective living.
Bias of Meaningful Action and Concrete Result
“Wisdom is knowing what to do next; virtue is doing it.”_David Starr Jordan
This key habit of personal power is in two-fold. One is the habit of deciding to live in an active mode, ready to get on with any task at hand. It is our ability to develop and maintain a sense of urgency, and a bias for action, every moment of our lives.
With the mastery of this habit, we decisively tackle procrastination, overcome fears and plunge ahead toward the achievement of our most meaningful goals.
The second fold of this heading is about having an intense focus on predetermined results, which comes from dedication to working from clear, written goals every day of our lives.
All highly effective people are intensely result-oriented and incredibly focused. This means they set very clear priorities on what they need to do and then concentrate single-mindedly until their intended results are attained.
Bias for Principles and Values, Not Impulses and Whims
“All the gold which is under or upon the earth is not enough to give in exchange for virtue.” _Plato
This habit is on how highly effective people live their lives by principles rather than by impulses. It is the habit of character and virtues.
As it turns out, character is an indispensable element of true success; it is the sustaining element of all prosperity. Without principles and values, no lasting success is possible.
It involves developing a noble vision for ourselves and then living out that vision on purpose and with integrity. It is about putting nobility or peace of mind ahead of everything else.
These principles entail the basics of virtues like honesty, temperance, fidelity, compassion, courage, moderation, understanding and the golden-rule.
As you may notice, these principles apply not only to how we handle our affairs but also how we relate with other people. By putting them into practice, we can form countless good habits that are useful in our relationship, work and life.
Now, to form these habits, we need to make a decision and then stick to that decision forever. In matters of ethics and good habits, there can be no compromise.
Many philosophers agree that the only way that we can learn any habit is by practicing it on a regular basis. And the more we practice living by principles of greatness, the more we will internalize every quality we need to become great.
Finally, know that our success in life, materially or otherwise depends largely upon the quality of our habits: therefore, let’s, act accordingly, and proactively replace every sub-optimal habit with a better and more meaningful one.
