FOCUS: 10 Delicious Daily Habits Personal Mastery, Mental Models, Systems Thinking Good habits, once established are just as hard to break as bad habits. Robert Puller THOUGHTS Many years ago when I was in training to be a coach through coachu, we were taught the value of creating and using 10 daily habits. The promise was that if we actually named 10 things we loved to do, and then figured out a way to build them into our day, we’d be healthy, focused, energetic, balanced and feel good! A pretty attractive promise. I did it then and it worked. Then over the years, I sort of forgot. But I’m back to it now and finding it so delicious! Each day is improved when it is bookended by happy rituals, and there is a treat in the middle. TIPS Choose habits you WANT to do. No shoulds or coulds. Things you love to do but often forget or don’t find time for are perfect. Choose habits that GIVE you energy. This might mean doing something, like eating 6 fruits and veggies a day, or stopping something like watching television or eating after 7 p.m. Modify your 10 daily habits as needed. Don’t be a slave to them. Some may not work…so find others. If you get tired of one, replace it with another. Set up a visual display to track your 10 habits each day, a sticky note on your computer, or a list on a bulletin board. This helps remind you until the habits are in your neural circuits. (Remember takes about 3 weeks to build a habit. It’s a brain thing. EXAMPLES Here are some examples of daily habits to give you ideas: 15-30 minute walk                                                        Thank one person Spend an hour with my children Make my bed Meditate for 15 minutes No television Write in my journal Be in bed by 10 pm Here’s my current list of 10 Delicious Daily Habits Begin and end the day reading from the Baha’i Writings or other holy scriptures 30 minutes of Yoga/Chi Kung Have a relaxed cup of coffee and read something inspirational Have meaningful connections with at least 2 people Mid-afternoon cup of tea No more than 20 minutes of news Nap One act of kindness 30 minutes aerobic exercise (walk/bike) Write in daily gratitude journal I’ve been doing these for a couple of months, so they’re coming easily. And I DO feel good:  focused, energized and balanced! COACHING QUESTIONS What would you include in a list of 10 delicious daily habits, even if some of them seem difficult to build into your day? How can you tweak them so they’re possible? When will you start living them? How will you remind yourself while they’re becoming habitual? INVITATION Please join me for a 45-minute telegathering to explore the more deeply the power and importance of building delicious habits into your day Thursday, October 11, 2012 at noon Eastern (11:00 a.m. Central, 10:00 a.m. MT, 9:00 a.m. Pacific)  1-218-862-1300 PIN 276583.  No need to register….just call at that time! Reach me: 1-888-907-HOPE (4673)or e-mail sharon@hopellc.com. I am a personal and executive coach and would be happy to offer you a complimentary coaching session by phone. Each month FRESH VIEWS focuses on a single topic, relates it to one of the five disciplines of a learning community, and offers a coaching tip and a follow-up telegathering. Please forward it to friends and colleagues. My purpose in writing FRESH VIEWS is to nurture, prod and encourage readers to think and talk about these topics with their families, friends and colleagues. Mine is only one view. Multiple conversations may deliver us to insights only hinted at here. Such a process sustains the vitality of learning relationships, learning families, learning organizations and learning communities. Sharon Eakes | 720 Maple Lane | Sewickley, PA 15143