It’s time for the 3rd installment of the 30 Day Success Habits Series. (A monthly column where I discuss the habits that I’m trying to develop for the next 30 days)
Like I said in yesterday’s post about my February habits, I’ve made the determination to focus on only two habits per month. Hopefully this will make it easier to stick with what I plan and not get too overwhelmed.
So what am I doing for March? Well here are the two habits I’m trying to form:
Success Habit #1- 5 Meals a Day
Nutrition has always been my Achilles Heel. For the last 20 years I’ve been in really good shape from running. So I’ve always used the excuse that I didn’t need to watch my diet. I’ve always subscribed to the notion that “If the furnace is hot enough, it will burn anything.” But as I get older, it’s becoming harder each day to maintain my optimal weight.
The truth is I know all the dangers of bad nutrition.
Diabetes. High cholesterol. Heart Disease. Gout.
These are all things that can happen to anyone who doesn’t watch their diet.
So for the next couple of months, I’m going to create a series of habits to improve what I put into my body.
For March, I’m going to start this process by focusing on eating five meals a day. The plan is to set a reminder on my iPhone at five different points each day and when it goes off I’ll eat a small meal of around 300-400 calories. Hopefully I won’t start salivating like one of Pavlov’s Dogs.
The key to this habit is planning. I need to make lists of what I need to eat and make sure I bring these foods with me everywhere I go. Maybe I’ll get a lunchbox, with something cool on it…Like the Jonas Brothers.
Okay…all kidding aside. This habit is something I have to be serious about. It’s going to take a lot of self-discipline to change something that’s been a problem for many years.
Success Habit #2- Elocution
During the last month, I’ve had my parents give me feedback on what they thought of my blog. Most of it has been pretty positive. But my dad’s response to my first video was I needed to work on my elocution skills.
To be honest, my response was “Huh?” I have a pretty expansive vocabulary but this was a word I never heard before. This one I had to go look up in a dictionary.
If you’re like me and don’t know the definition of elocution, here it is: Elocution refers to a person’s manner of speaking or reading aloud in a public setting. It’s the study of proper public speaking with a focus on the orator’s pronunciation, style, grammar, and tone.
When it comes to this website, I know it’s important to create a multi-media experience. Some people really respond to video and audio. So while I’ve always been a written-word kind of guy, I have to make sure I’m creating content that everyone can use. As a result, I’ve made it professional goal to work on my presentation skills.
For March, I plan on spending at least 30 minutes each day working on my elocution skills. At first this is going to involve reading a few books on the subject. Then I hope to incorporate a few exercises into my daily regime. After that, I’m going to start cranking out some audios and videos.
I’m a firm believer that all success comes from repeated effort. So I’m willing to produce a lot of “sub-standard” audios/videos at first to really improve my skills. I might put them on this site or I might not. This is something I haven’t decided yet.
The Verdict
This is going to be a challenging month. I’m basically addressing two major problems I’ve had for my entire adult life. These habits are going to definitely challenging my comfort zone.
So check back here in a few weeks and you’ll see the results from these two exercises…wish me luck!
Take Action. Get Results.
When do the videos start? Get that dynomite going.
It’s funny you said that…just completed the 3rd one and will be rolling it out in the morning. Video is pretty tricky to figure out, but I think it’s worth the time to figure out.
cool Steve. I have to say I will probably adjust and try to listen to more video’s but I’m more of a reader I guess, but I know some would rather listen and see.
I love to run, well jog and walk. Use to do it all the time. One day run, next day walk. It’s addicting but for me was a good addiction. Never had I felt more healthier then when I did that.
30 minutes a day is challenging. I know you can do it! (elocution.. I didn’t know.. kinda figured that’s what he meant but I really didn’t know)
I definitely agree with you on the reading part, but unfortunately lots of people like audios and videos. So I have to start adjusting to fit with their preferences. This isn’t something that’s going to be easy for me, but it’s cool to have a new challenge.
Sounds like you stopped your jogging/walking habit. What happened?