5 Mindful Habits To Practice Everyday
Your life is nothing more than an accumulation of days. And your day is the result of the habits that dictate how you fill the minutes that make up those days. When you incorporate mindful habits into your daily routine, your life will have more purpose, more direction, and more forward momentum.
In this article, we reveal the 5 mindful habits that underpin a sublime daily routine, allowing you to find your 24-hour zen.
Habit #1: Express Gratitude
When you first get up in the morning, express gratitude for what you have. Most people are constantly fixated on what they don’t have. This is a formula for misery. So, don’t allow yourself to have that mindset. Gratitude is an internal feeling by which we are thankful for what we possess.
Now, many people find it hard to show gratitude for their physical possessions because they are fixated on getting something better. Sure, you may not own your dream car right now, but at least you don’t have to walk everywhere, right? I’m not saying that you shouldn’t set the goal of getting a new and better car. The point is, in the meantime, be grateful for the car that you Do have.
The research suggests that when we express gratitude for what we have, the things we have are far more likely to grow. However, those who are fixated on what they don’t have, are likely to end up unhappy, frustrated, and resource-limited.
Habit #2: Silence
Establish a morning routine that emphasises silence. When you first get up, you are in a relaxed frame of mind. Stacking silence on top of relaxation, allows you to unleash maximum productivity and creativity. Resist the temptation to let the business of the day take over. You will get to those things in due time. But now, when you get out of bed, is the time to strengthen your mindset through the power of silence.
Spending time in silence each morning allows you to turn off the white noise in your head so that your brain can be more efficient throughout the remainder of the day. You may choose to spend thirty minutes in mindful meditation.
Habit #3: Exercise
The science is beyond doubt that exercise has a positive impact on your brain. This gives added meaning to the statement that a healthy mind resides inside of a healthy body. Exercise starts the mechanism rolling whereby more oxygen goes to the brain cells, which develops cognitive ability. According to self-help guru Tony Robbins, exercise also helps to develop the quality of courage by increasing your ability to stand in front of your fears.
Spend time each morning engaged in meaningful movement. Even 15 minutes of exercise is hugely beneficial. You don’t have to join a gym to get fit, either. Dropping down on your bedroom floor and pumping out sets of pushups, supersetted with crunches is beneficial.
Exercising mindfully is all about engaging the mind-muscle connection. Focus on the working muscle, moving slowly and deliberately.
Habit #4: Growth Reading
Include time each day to read material that allows you to grow your mind. Specifically, read stuff that improves your psychology.
To quote Tony Robbins again, “80% of success is psychology and 20% is mechanics.”
Books about leadership, the power of the mind, and habit building will sharpen your psychology to help you get more out of life.
You don’t have to spend a great deal of time reading each day, but it should be a daily habit. Even fifteen minutes devoted to psychological reading can be hugely beneficial.
Here are 5 great books to get you started in your daily reading habit:
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
The One Thing by Gary Keller
The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy
First Things First by Stephen Covey
Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy
Habit #5: Journaling
Getting your thoughts down on paper is a great way to clear your mind. When your head is clear, you can be far more productive.
Journaling allows you to have that clear mind. The mind’s capacity is about 5 thoughts at one time. Yet we keep it loaded with hundreds of thoughts every day.
With journaling, you can get down on paper the things you were previously forcing your mind to remember. You’ll then be able to focus your attention on what lies ahead.
There are several ways to organise your journaling habits. One that has proven effective is to write your thoughts down under the following categories:
Gratitude
Day’s accomplishments
Lessons learnt
Specific areas of action
Conclusion
Build your day around the 5 mindful habits we’ve laid out here and you will be able to achieve a sublime daily routine. Each of those sublime days will then stack upon each other to create the kind of level-up lifestyle that you deserve to be living.
