3 Core Habits To Cultivate A Healthy Life

Your daily choices create more opportunities or spawn more limitations for your future. Good choices lead to more opportunity. We lay the foundation for good choices by creating healthy daily habits and routines. If you want to make better choices on a regular basis, consider these three daily CORE HABITS OF A HEALTHY LIFE.

I was inspired to this idea by an ad I saw in a magazine. Because I like lists and am regularly concerned with the habits I am forming (we are all forming habits, they are either helpful or harmful), I thought I'd convert the image into a series of lists and thoughts. What follows is more "stream of consciousness" than well-thought-out writing. You may find it helpful or you may hate it. Either way, I hope it inspires you to consider the habits you are creating and whether they are helping your grow or causing you to plateau.

RISE

• The earlier you get going, the further you'll go and the more you'll get done.
• As Ben Franklin advised, if you want to rise early in the morning then retire early the night before.
• We all need help in the morning (other than the disgusting few who jump out of bed each morning raring to go). For each of us it looks a little different. Some need a longer shower, some need coffee, some need fruit, etc. You know what you need. Create a morning routine that allows you to rise and be ready for whatever the day may bring.

READ

• Read your Bible. You can read one verse, one chapter or one whole book. You can read a Proverb, a Psalm, something from the Gospels, one of the letters or anything else. Whatever you read, don't just scan the words and dive into your day. Take it with you. As God said to Joshua, "Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful."
• Read a book by an author who inspires you. You may enjoy fiction. Others prefer history. Some like business or leadership books. Find an author who speaks your language and make their writings a regular part of your routine. By reading and re-reading their best writing, you'll discover they become a mentor of sorts, empowering you to grow and expand.
• Read the news. Newspapers are awesome. News magazines once were as well. The printed media is quickly going away, but you can still get on-line and find out what is going on in the world. Find a good news source and try to avoid opinion sources. Be informed about current events, but don't be consumed by those who tell you what to think about them.
• DON'T read Facebook, Twitter or other social media. Save these apps and websites for later in your day. Your morning reading is for INSPIRATION, social media is good for distraction and connection but not for inspiration. Later in the day, when you need a short break from the grind, is a much better time to spend a few minutes liking, following and sharing.

REACH

• Reach a little further today than you did yesterday.
  • Set your goals a little higher
  • Try something you've not tried before
  • Work a little bit harder or a little bit longer
  • Accomplish one extra task
• Reach a few more people than you did yesterday.
• Invest extra time listening to someone
• Provide assistance where you haven't before
• Generously encourage and compliment those around you
• Offer prayer to someone who is struggling
• Invite someone to join you for a meal or coffee

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