Good Intentions vs. Positive Habits

Have you ever suddenly felt so motivated to do something that ideas and plans kept popping into your head one after the other, so much so that you could hardly wait for the next day to come for you to start? And then, the next day arrives. You roll over in bed, see the list you so excitedly formed the night before and think, really? Did I actually write this? And then you turn over and go back to sleep... 

We all have good intentions. Everyday I intend to be productive, organize life, eat healthy, exercise, the whole 9 yards, but what it actually comes down to a lot of the time is good intentions. You might have guessed by now that I'm having one of those motivational nights. You're right, and I don't want tomorrow to become another, was I crazy? kind of day. 

I read a quote today that I keep repeating over and over in my head that I want to remember each and every day. 

"Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going." 

I love this. It's easy to start something, but to finish is a completely different story. Habits are often viewed as negative things, but we can form positive habits that set us up for life. They say it takes 21 days to make something a habit. I don't know how true that is, but what I do know is that 21 days is nothing in the big picture. Let's say this 21 day fact thing is true. 3 weeks. That means that after 3 weeks of putting great effort into something, the other 49 weeks of the year you can do that same task effortlessly. It's not so intimidating to think of it that way. It's completely doable. The satisfaction of getting to the point where if you don't do that certain thing means your day just isn't right, is such an amazing feeling to have. It's a wonderful achievement, and even if you're the only one who knows you did it, that's okay! 

What do you want to achieve? What's stopping you from starting? Here's to 21 days of perseverance!