You’re already doing them, so why not do them right?

Habits are things we’re already doing, most of the time without even realizing it. Think of it like this: you have a roadmap. You can either use it or just go by sight and how you feel, hoping you end up where you’re supposed to.

Using the map gives you a clear path to your goals. You’re much more likely to succeed when you follow it. Otherwise, you’ll probably take ten times longer doing something you could have done much faster if you’d just followed the plan. Make sense?

The difference between successful people and everyone else is that successful people understand others have already done what they’re trying to do. Some have crushed it, some have failed. Either way, there’s something to learn. So why not take that advice, get the insight, and give yourself a head start?

Don’t let that roadmap sit on the shelf and collect dust. That’s the last thing we want. The goal is to get to our destination, not wander.

And if you’re not doing it the right way yet, that’s fine. You can say you’re learning as you go. But why waste your time, or anyone else’s, making mistakes that could be avoided?

Investing in your habits (ROI)

ROI stands for return on investment. When you think of ROI, think about where your time is going. Are you putting your time into something that’s going to benefit you? You’re on the railroad track, chugging along, and you cannot afford to waste time on things that are not helping you move forward.

Investing your time or your money can push you further than you realize. The fact that you’re here, reading this blog or watching this video, means you’re already investing in yourself. You’re learning, trying to level up, and that alone puts you ten steps ahead of the person who says they’ll start tomorrow.

I like to think of my return on investment as tools I’ll use in the future. That could be a new course, a new degree, or even something like getting my hair and nails done. All of that shapes how I see myself in five years. It’s about who I’m becoming.

So here’s my question for you: Where is your time going? Is it being spent on things that support your growth? And if not, what small changes can you make right now to redirect your energy, your space, and your focus back to your goals?

Leaders know where their time is going

Do you consider yourself a leader? You should. Every true leader knows exactly where their time is going. Time is money, and money is time. When you have that mindset, you start to separate the habits that help you from the ones that hold you back. You raise your standards, set clear expectations for yourself and others, and commit to the kind of boundaries that support real success.

Habit your destination

Where do you see yourself in five years? Are your habits lined up with that vision? If not, then there’s some work to do. Because let’s be honest, you won’t get to that version of yourself if your current habits don’t match the direction you want to go. Your future depends on the actions you take right now.

Look at the people you want to be

Think about the people you admire. Look closely at how they carry themselves, the choices they make, and the habits they stick to. Pay attention to the energy they bring and the way they present themselves to the world. There’s a reason you look up to them, and chances are, their habits play a big part in that.

There are so many benefits to having habits

There are more benefits to having healthy habits than not. And honestly, that’s all I’m gonna say about it. Argue with your mom.

It could change your life.

Take it from me. When I first started, I wasn’t paying attention to my negative habits. They were just naturally part of me. I realized my life wasn’t moving in a successful direction, and yes, I’ve probably said that word a thousand times, but it’s true.

It wasn’t until I sat down and started making daily goals, creating a morning routine, and building weekly rituals that things started to change. I made my habits clear to myself and to the people around me. I got honest about what I expect out of life. That’s when I understood that habits make us.

They are the air we breathe. They are the water we drink. So make sure you’re drinking your water.

Everything in this world comes down to habits, positive or negative. There’s no in-between. When you think about it, nobody wants to live a stressful life. Nobody wants to wake up dreading their body, their choices, or their routines. Most of us want to wake up feeling good about our lives, our progress, and who we’re becoming.

But that doesn’t happen until we take a hard look in the mirror. Until we reflect on the life we’re creating and ask ourselves: Am I headed where I want to go? Do I need to make a U-turn or take a pit stop and reassess?

Think about who you are right now. Think about the people around you. Are they helping or hurting your growth? And most importantly, are you making life easier for yourself, or are your habits making it harder?

Stress reduction 

I don’t care who you are or what you believe in. Stress is a killer. If you’re stressed, you’re not going to live a healthy or happy life. It’s going to be a constant, overwhelming grind. But you can tell when someone is living a blissful life. You can see it in their skin, the way they walk, and how they carry themselves. You can tell they value themselves.

Habits are the foundation for taking care of yourself. Think about it like this: when you wake up in the morning, if you’ve built the habit of setting aside 15 minutes to do your morning ritual, like making your bed, brushing your teeth, getting dressed, and doing your hair, guess what? You’ve already knocked out half the list of things you need to do to be presentable in just 15 minutes. That’s crazy, right? And I’m not saying you need to take an hour to do it, even if you do, you’re still putting habits in place that help you be successful.

Now, what’s truly stressful? Waking up 15 minutes before you need to leave, rushing to get dressed, scrambling for your keys, and looking like a hot mess because you didn’t prepare. That’s why habits should be taught in school to set you up for success in the future. Every day, you should expect nothing less than that little ritual. Look at your morning routine, find where the stress comes from, and make a change.

Be reliable

When you can’t rely on yourself, others can’t rely on you. Think about it like this: you have a date, and your friend says, “Meet me at the library at 3:30.” You mentally tell yourself, “I’m going to be there at 3:30.” But let’s say you don’t show up at 3:30 like you promised. Who did you let down first? Do you think you let your friend down, or did you let yourself down? I’ll answer that for you. You let yourself down. Now, you look like you don’t value your actions, and physically and mentally, you show just how important you believe you are.

Don’t promise to be somewhere you know you can’t be. Don’t set the bar so high that you’re already setting yourself up to fail and let others down.

Being reliable isn’t just about being there for others. It’s so much more than that. Being reliable means you can trust yourself. To be your own number one fan. And don’t put yourself in situations you can’t handle. You trust that you know yourself well enough to say, “I don’t think I can make it at that time, but maybe we can FaceTime instead.”

You have to know yourself. That’s why I tell people that not only should you date others, but you should also date yourself. Not only should you expect gifts from others, but give yourself gifts. Get to know your limits, so when reliability is expected of you, you know where and how much you can stretch that responsibility.

Sets boundaries 

At the end of the day, boundaries are things every normal, healthy person should have. If you don’t have boundaries, stay 10 feet away from me because you won’t like me. I am Mrs. Boundary here. Don’t touch that; I am the queen of boundaries, and I love that about myself. I’ve never felt healthier, happier, or more successful in my life than when I decided to set healthy habits and boundaries, not only for myself but for others when they’re in my space.

I see myself as a very valuable person, and when you have something valuable around you, you don’t throw it around like a football. You don’t disrespect it. You don’t allow people around your valuable things to disrespect them. No, you protect what’s valuable.

You make sure the people around you respect that value, or they don’t get to be around you or your valuable things.

Growing up in a household where respect and boundaries were not given but earned (which I don’t believe in) made it much harder when I got older. I didn’t expect people to respect me, and I felt like I needed to make them see my value. I felt like I had to earn their respect and their attention, but in reality, I should’ve just expected respect.

Now, as an adult, people don’t always understand when someone with habits and boundaries says, “Hey, I don’t do that.” They may not like it, but here’s the thing: I don’t care if they respect me or not. The person who comes first is me because I hold myself to a standard that they must also meet if they want to be around me. If you set those boundaries first, people will fall in line, but be prepared. It won’t be easy. People will look at you differently. They’ll be hesitant around you. They’ll act like you’ve stepped out of the box they’re used to seeing you in.

But ask anyone who’s around people-pleasers: people-pleasers don’t please anyone if nobody else around them is being pleased. You also have to ask yourself: Am I doing this for myself, or am I doing it for others? People-pleasing is not a healthy habit, and boundaries are.

You will grow on purpose.

I believe that most people don’t have negative habits. Instead, they have habits that were accidentally integrated into their lives, good or bad habits that were either forced upon them or became a standard they adopted. For example, waking up early isn’t natural for most people. It’s a habit that has to be pushed, a standard that has to be set for yourself, or maybe someone set that standard for you.

When you think of growing on purpose, think of the habits you need to be purposeful. Nothing should be done by accident. You can’t just stumble into success. Nobody stumbles into success. Even if you think someone did, think again because that’s not how success works. Everybody works for something. When you purposely succeed through hard work, you’ll come to love the fact that you put yourself in that position. Not because your dad said you should, not because a teacher or a recruiter told you to, and not because someone else said so, but because you decided to be successful. You decided, as the reader or listener, to purposely build habits that will make you better than you are right now.

The purpose of life should be perfection, and if you don’t think you can reach perfection, aim just below it and be satisfied with that.

When you grow with purpose, there’s no end, there’s always continual growth. There’s always a drive to want more, to keep learning. I don’t know about you, but I’m accomplishing more than just something for myself—I’m doing this for my future, for my friends to read about, for my great-grandchildren to learn about who I am. That’s who I’m growing for on purpose, and that’s who my habits are set for.

Now ask yourself: Why do I want to grow on purpose?

Design the life you want.

At the end of the day, we all want to be successful. At least, that’s what I hope for those of you watching, listening, or reading my blog and videos on YouTube. Those are the people I want in my circle. Success doesn’t just happen by chance. Rarely do you hear about people born into success talking about it. But that’s a whole different conversation.

Success starts at home. If you don’t have a clear vision of where you want to go, you’re just running around like a chicken with its head cut off. I challenge you to spend at least 10 minutes a day in quiet reflection. Picture where you want to be in 10 years, five years, one year, or even 30 days. Sit in silence, and just feel what it would be like to be there.

Then, ask yourself: What do I need to do to get to where I want to be? What steps do I need to take to sit comfortably, to enjoy life as it is? Life doesn’t automatically come pre-designed for you to just step into a perfect space. You have to design your canvas. Remember, you are in the driver’s seat. You are the one making the choices. Once you realize that, you’ll have the power to take charge of your life and create the life you truly want.