Habits — The Building Blocks Of Life
When we are born into this world, we immediately pick up on tendencies and behaviors that eventually shape how we conduct our everyday lives. Some of these behaviors result in poor outcomes while others result in positive outcomes. Webster defines a habit as,
“a usual way of behaving: something that a person does often in a regular and repeated way.”
A repeated behavior that every living creature partakes in is the act of sleeping. Sleeping allows our bodies to recover physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s a means of recharging and gearing up for the next day ahead.
Where do you fall on the habit(archy)?
In the book The Four Tendencies, Gretchin Ruben writes about how people tend to fall into four categories; Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. These are based on how people respond to outer and inner expectations. Upholders tend to meet their inner and outer expectations, meaning they don’t let others or themselves down. An example of an upholder tendency is waking up at 5:00 in the morning and workout at the same gym three times a week. Questioners only meet their inner expectations, meaning they question all expectations. They will only partake in an event if it makes sense to them. If setting a goal meets an objective they feel is beneficial to them, they will pursue it. If a habit is forced and created solely due to arbitrary notions such as “New Year resolutions”, they will not pursue it. On the flip side, you have Obligers who will generally meet the expectations of others, rather than themselves. They need people to keep them in check. Accountability is their friend. People that fall in this field feel are accustomed to consistent schedules — homework assignments with due dates, church Sundays, sports practice sessions, and the like. Lastly, there are rebels, who resist both inner and outer expectations. Their own free will and determination are enough motivation to form habits. However, although rebels don’t need as much inner or outer influence from others, that makes them that much more difficult to sway.
Successful People Maintain Good Habits. blah…
Daily habits can help form a routine. The most successful people in the world build routines that consist of small compartmentalized habits that stay the same throughout the week. Founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, sleeps eight hours a night and swears by waking up naturally and abandoning the alarm. As does Oprah Winfrey and Arianna Huffington. In a Forbes article, Arianna was cited saying, “setting an alarm creates a sudden fear or distressing suspense caused by an awareness of danger.” Beginning the day in such a startling manner creates a flood of stress hormones and adrenaline as our body prepares for danger. Not the best way to start the day! Another habit that deems beneficial is getting the body moving. Morning exercise is a daily habit of many successful leaders. According to New York Times, Bill Gates can be found running on his treadmill and multitasking on work-related matters in the morning. Finally, the habit of eliminating decision-making tasks is one that can save people from a lot of unwarranted stress. To mitigate this, Shark Tank host Barbara Corcoran makes a to-do list of items that she will rank in order of importance. Creating a to-do list at night is more time-efficient, reduces morning stress, and marks a definitive end to the day resulting in greater work-life balance.
These habits performed by extraordinary people are tangible, can be executed by people like you and me, and replicated to fit our daily lives. The best example I can offer is the routine I have built out for myself. Although the routine may fluctuate week by week, its principles generally stay the same. Outside of the occasional variables outside of my control like sudden health-related appointments, I stick to a fairly constant agenda.
The 10 Habits That Shape My Routine!
Yes, it’s cluttered. It’s busy. It’s a lot to look at at one time. By breaking down my weekly routine, I hope to help others build out a routine that will cater to their goals and have a visual to go off of.
Habit 1: Sleep — Right off the bat, it’s apparent that I don’t get the prescribed eight hours of sleep that “successful” people preach the importance of in our day-to-day lives. In my fair estimation, I get anywhere from 5 to 7 hours of sleep a day. I am usually up for 18 to 20 hours a day. I have difficulty sleeping — the abundance of energy my body has is to blame for that. I also don’t enjoy sleep because I view it as a waste of time.
Habit 2: Weight Lifting — Heading into the New Year I made a list of goals that I jotted on my whiteboard. The goals were categorized into things I wanted to pursue, continue working toward, and accomplish. One goal I pursued was weight lifting with the intent of gaining twenty to thirty pounds of muscle. Having a distance running background, the weight lifting scene simply to bulk was somewhat of an unfamiliar activity — although I lifted regularly for training throughout college. Today marks the completion of one calendar month of lifting three times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday) at 5:00 am. I am currently 146 pounds and have gained 4 pounds since the beginning of January. Small incremental gains are the name of the game.
Habit 3, 4, 5, & 6: The In-between Stuff — On a typical day, I eat breakfast from 6:45 am to 7:15 am. I begin driving to work at 7:15 am and arrive by 8:00 am. I work from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm before departing for a 30–45 minute lunch break. Then I work from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm or later depending on the workload. To conclude the workday, I grab a drink, commute home, arrive by 6:00 pm, and make an extremely extravagant dinner: store-bought chicken thighs, potatoes, apple juice, and a sandwich composed of two hamburger buns, chicken tenders, barbecue sauce, and melted cheese straight out of the microwave.
Habit 7: Downtime — Although it doesn’t seem like I take many breaks, I think the mental approach I have helps me stay balanced. I live in the moment as much as possible. By compartmentalizing tasks into individual events on any given day, I am able to focus and give all my attention to that particular thing without putting too much emotional energy into it. Once I have accomplished an event, I don’t think about the future ramifications too much because that may be overwhelming. I take it into consideration, and then move on. In addition, for the most part, I don’t dwell on past events that may alter my mood, behavior, or affect the outcome of my day. I reflect, process, then find ways to improve myself. I like to think of myself as a pretty optimistic person.
Habit 8: Projects — If you have met me, you may know I get bored very easily if the activity I am doing doesn’t gauge my interest. I have a hard time watching television unless the premise of the show or movie is alluding to a greater purpose, idea, or phenomenon. I struggle reading books because it’s hard for me to sit still for extended periods of time. What I do get lost thinking about is the interconnectivity of our world, historical events that led our species to this point, people’s narratives and stories, the tools and resources that can be built and utilized to make the world a more inclusive place, and how I can contribute to the advancement of our world. Yeah, I think big.
The primary project I am working on is called The Chris Nussbaum Experience. From a glance, you could say the website is a personal portfolio — a collection of work. However, eventually, the idea is to create an environment where everyone can share their personal experiences with each other. That’s all I will say about it right now. Within this project, a slew of digital projects and services are included. Feel free to check it out! Projects keep me thinking. They keep me busy, motivated and engaged with life.
Habit 9: Sarah — Sarah is obviously not a habit, however, she is my most important person. She encourages me, keeps me humble and sane, tests my patience, supports and loves me unconditionally, gives me joy, lots of adventure, and all that I need to be happy. Sarah is built into my routine as a habit because we are both very busy people. Therefore, we schedule at least two hours a night to FaceTime where we talk about our day, watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine, make future plans, laugh, and whatnot.
Habit 10: Outdoor Recreation — Enjoying the natural beauty of the outdoors is critical to every aspect of my health. I am a very active person and was introduced to hiking, backpacking, and outdoor recreation when I was in Boy Scouts. Since then, I have grown fond of the bliss and calm ambiance nature provides. All of this elevated when I met Sarah and her family — as they have taken me on many hikes and adventures.
In Conclusion …
I have a vision for the life I want to live, the legacy I want to leave behind, and the actionable steps I believe need to be taken to achieve my goals. I fully acknowledge that my routine is not perfect, nor should anyone mold and replicate their routine off of the parameters I developed. However, I do know that building a routine comprised of consistent events throughout the year will lead to growth, development, success, and a sense of fulfillment. As long as you aren’t afraid to fail, attempt the impossible, and make a plan to stick with a program, eventually, the dots will align. All it takes is commitment, relentless desire to meet your goals, accountability, determination, and a support system that is enough to motivate you. Compartmentalize your day into smaller periods of time, focus on the present moment, and work towards the tomorrow you want for yourself. Make it happen!
