Any successful person in the world would tell you that they have a specific routine that fuels their success. It’s true when they say that “success isn’t based on motivation, it’s rather based on habits and routines”.
Motivation is merely a feeling, and feelings tend to come and go like the ocean waves. However, habits are persistent actions and they create consistency.
Success requires consistency; you can’t only work for the days you’re motivated and call it quits on the days when you don’t feel inspired. If you want to succeed, you have to repeat the same actions that could lead to this abundance.
Habits trigger your brain to act a certain way because it would only feel unnatural if you don’t. Habits rewire your brain in a certain way that motivation can’t.
Imagine these two scenarios: In the first scenario, you have one person who keeps hitting the alarm snooze button because he stayed up late watching Netflix.
He drags himself to work and swears he will work out once he finishes work. He goes back home and feels too tired to work out so he takes a nap instead. He doesn’t have the time to work on his side hustle because he doesn’t feel especially motivated today.
In the second scenario, you have this person who wakes up at the same time every day. He has breakfast right after he works out and has a full day before his workday even starts. He reads that book with his afternoon tea and feels obligated to work on his side hustle.
Who is likely to succeed? The first guy or the second one? Of course, this is a no-brainer. The guy with healthy habits and an inspired routine is more likely to succeed. Good habits are there even when your motivation is not.
So why are good habits important to success?
1- It Changes Your Mindset
Practicing a habit physically changes the brain; it can change nerve cells in your brain. In simpler words, your mindset will experience actual change. When you practice a habit, the action doesn’t feel forced anymore; it becomes automatic. You do something specific because your brain is programmed to do this; you don’t even have to think about it because it comes naturally.
Wouldn’t it be easier to do something without having to feel “inspired” to do it every single time?
2- You Don’t Waste Time
By all means, time is the most important asset we have. When you have built yourself a routine, you don’t have to waste time on planning or on decision-making. You also don’t waste time trying to find your “muse” every time.
For instance, this girl dreams to become a published writer; thus, she adopts a routine that puts her in the mood to write even when she’s not feeling motivated. She wakes up at the same time every day, pours coffee in her favorite mug, sits in her “writing” spot, and starts writing. She programmed her brain to start writing right after she performs these repeated actions or triggers.
It would be a lot harder for her to stay consistent with her writing if she has to find her motivation every single time. She would waste time trying to find her “spot” and she might not find the time to write because she doesn’t have a dedicated time.
3- It Replaces Bad Habits
Psychologists believe that in order to erase a habit, you need to replace it with another habit. So, if you’re looking to break a bad habit, replace it with a good one. A good routine helps in eliminating the development of bad habits because you simply don’t have the space or time for bad habits.
Repetition is key for replacing the bad with the good.
4- It Creates Momentum
Good habits create momentum; momentum might as well be a synonym for motivation. Let’s say you have a habit of making your bed first thing when you wake up.
This small task will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something even before your day started. It will give you momentum to keep doing amazing things that would fulfill this sense of accomplishment.
5- It Builds Confidence
Adopting good habits results in increased confidence. It makes us feel like we’re able to commit to something; it makes us feel in control of our own ship; it makes us feel powerful and determined.
More confidence will come our way when we start to witness small ounces of success due to this routine. This routine will help us in achieving our goals and fulfilling our dreams, which will give us this sense of satisfaction that nothing in the world can take it away from us.
6- It Improves Mental Health
It’s worth mentioning that good habits pave the way for a healthy mentality. Habits help us in knowing what to expect. This is especially good for people who suffer from anxiety; habits can give them relief because they are not taken by surprise.
It’s not a secret that mental health plays an important role in success. How can you succeed if your depression can’t get you out of bed in the morning? How can you succeed if extreme anxiety keeps you from doing the things you should be doing to make something work?
For instance, the bad habit of eating junk food increases your risk of depression and mental health issues because of all the sugar in it. Also, the bad habit of not moving your body will increase the stress hormones of your body.
Moreover, taking a shower, applying lotion, and taking care of your skin are all good bedtime habits that will make you feel better because you feel like you’re taking care of yourself.