In my “sneak peek” series of sharing highlights of my soon to be released book Create The Vitality You Crave: Epigenetics 101 to Unlock Your Healing Power,  today I am focusing on creating lasting change.

When it comes to personal and professional success, the habits we build can make all the difference. By focusing on positive routines and breaking free from harmful patterns, you can transform your life in meaningful ways. In this post, we’ll explore effective creator habits, identify common unhealthy patterns, and provide actionable strategies for making positive consistent changes, without the vitality stealing burden of perfectionism.

Breaking Free from Unhealthy Habits

To start, let’s acknowledge some common unhealthy habits and how they can impact various aspects of our lives:

1. Spiritually: Ignoring spiritual practices—whether it’s meditation, prayer, or simply spending time in nature—can lead to feelings of emptiness and imbalance. These practices offer crucial moments of peace and reflection that help recharge our mental and emotional batteries.
   
   
2. Emotionally: Reacting impulsively to negative situations or being overly sensitive can escalate stress and disrupt emotional stability. Learning to respond thoughtfully rather than react can help maintain healthier relationships and manage stress better.
   
   
3. Mentally: Engaging in negative self-talk or assuming the worst can erode self-esteem and create unnecessary anxiety. Developing a more positive inner dialogue and challenging pessimistic thoughts can enhance mental resilience and growth.
   
   
4. Physically: Habits like consuming excessive sugar, skipping meals, and poor sleep can negatively impact your health. For example, I’ve struggled with managing my diet due to family health issues like diabetes. Tracking my food intake revealed that even healthy-seeming processed foods were causing problems. Switching to whole foods significantly improved my health.
   
   

The Power of Ten: A Simple Approach to Better Choices

The “Power of Ten” method simplifies decision-making by breaking down long-term goals into shorter timeframes: 10 seconds, 10 minutes, 10 hours, 10 days, and 10 weeks. This approach helps you reflect on how decisions affect both your immediate and future well-being.

For instance, if you’re tempted to snack on something unhealthy late at night, think about how you’ll feel in the morning. Will it disrupt your sleep or affect your energy levels? This reflection helps you make healthier choices. I had a client, Becky, who struggled with late-night snacking and poor sleep. By using a visual reminder of the number 10, she started making better evening choices, leading to improved sleep and productivity.

Understanding and Managing Triggers

Triggers play a crucial role in forming habits. Negative triggers—like stress leading to unhealthy behaviors—can undermine progress. For example, skipping workouts when tired or reacting harshly when stressed can create long-term health issues.

To create positive habits, focus on positive triggers rather than relying solely on reminders. James Clear’s concept of “Habit Stacking” suggests linking new habits to existing ones. For example, if you want to start oil pulling, do it right after brushing your teeth. This technique made it easier for me to adopt oil pulling by integrating it seamlessly into my morning routine.

Creating Effective Daily Rituals

A well-structured daily routine can significantly impact your well-being. Balancing multiple roles and responsibilities often leaves little time for self-care, but integrating simple rituals can make a big difference.

Morning Rituals: A good start to the day can set a positive tone. A few things in my morning routine includes:

• Avoiding phone use and social media first thing.
• Creating a calming atmosphere with ambient lights and candles.
• Engaging in activities like oil pulling, meditation, and exercise.
• Using essential oils and reviewing daily affirmations.

This ritual helps me feel more focused and balanced throughout the day.

Evening Rituals: A thoughtful evening routine promotes better sleep. To wind down, a few of the things:

• Avoid stimulating activities and digital devices an hour before bed.
• Engage in calming activities like meditation, journaling, and prayer.
• Ensure a cool, comfortable sleep environment.

This routine has greatly improved my sleep quality by addressing my spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical needs.

Floors and Ceilings: Consistency without perfectionism

This habit hack has changed my life, so I must share it! The concept of “Floors and Ceilings” helps maintain consistency in habits. Ceilings represent ideal goals, while floors are minimum standards that ensure progress. Floors are things we can do in 1 minute or less. They keep the momentum going. For instance:

• Journaling: My “ceiling” is detailed reflections, but my “floor” is simple bullet points.
• Movement: My “ceiling” is an hour of exercise, a combo of both cardio and strength.  My “floor” is just one minute on a mini-trampoline, or 3 ‘cat cows”, or the “ab series” in Pilates.

Setting these floors helps celebrate consistency and the impact of small efforts.

Embracing Creator Habits

Incorporating creator habits into your life can lead to lasting change. By visualizing your future-self and setting realistic “floors”, you can stay committed to your goals. Whether you need accountability or guidance, seek out resources and partners to support your journey. To benefit from my years of training and mastering these principles, click here for a Free discovery call.

In summary, adopting effective habits and addressing negative triggers can enhance your overall well-being. By focusing on small, manageable changes and integrating them into your routine, you can create a healthier, more vital, fulfilling life.

Editor’s Note – my new book, Create The Vitality You Crave: Epigenetics 101 to Unlock Your Healing Power will be released on September 10^th. You can get a free copy of Chapter 1 by clicking here