Habit Stacking

 Have you ever tried creating a new habit, but you just have a hard time remembering to do it?  You're drifting off for sleep for the night and suddenly you remember that you forgot to do your new habit that day...again!  You really want this new habit, but it's just so hard to remember.  If this has ever happened to you, you are not alone.  I think most of us have had that experience, probably multiple times!  

I want to share with you a great little technique called "Habit Stacking".  This awesome tip helps boost your ability to remember and do the habit you are trying to incorporate. 

Let's say you want to develop a habit of flossing your teeth.  You have the floss, but you keep forgetting to use it.  By mentally tying flossing to something that you already do, like brushing your teeth, you are much more likely to create a new habit of flossing your teeth.  Consciously decide to floss your teeth right after you brush, and voila!  You have just attached a new habit-to-be to an existing habit, making you much more likely to succeed!  Then look for a physical reminder, such as setting the floss on top of your toothpaste, literally stacking it.

Say you are trying to get into the routine of taking supplements every morning.  In your mind, consciously attach it to something that is already a habit, like eating breakfast.  Then physically "stack" your supplement on top of, or next to your cereal, or whatever you eat for breakfast.  

Want to develop of habit of exercising?  You already have a habit of getting dressed every morning...probably.  Instead of getting dressed for the day, mentally decide that you are going to put exercise clothes on instead.  Then physically stack them on top of your other clothes, and don't allow yourself to take them off until you exercise that day.  You get the idea!

Attach your want-to-be habit to an existing habit, habit-stack it, both mentally and physically if you can, then go for it!  Your bound to get better results!

A personal mentor is another awesome way to get help with creating your habits. Having someone to support you allows you to move forward at an accelerated pace.  You know that goal you've re-started a dozen times on your own, but you just can't get there?  Studies show that having a mentor can result in much faster and long-lasting results.  Book a free 30-minute mentoring call with me to find out how I can help you be more successful.  

https://www.shireebest.com/book-online

What in the World is Manifesting?

 Recently I felt prompted to order a book on manifesting.  It's called "The Drive-Thru Method of Manifesting" by Kelly Walker.  "Manifesting" is something I have heard about but never really understood.  

The author gives you assignments at the end of each chapter.  One of the first assignments was to pick something small, something you could buy at a store, and put it on a vision board.  (Okay...I've done vision boards for years, with some success)  Then imagine that thing as if you already have it, using all your senses. (yep, done that too...)  Then do this every day, or even twice a day (been there, done that).  Then scan your brain each time for ideas on how to get that item, write them down, and do them immediately.  (Wait, what?  I haven't really done that part intentionally before..  okay, I can try that.) 

I thought about what to choose.  A new winter dress?  A new pair of tennis shoes to run in?  The doTERRA protein powder I'm out of, at $40/bag?  I decided to go for the hard thing.  I was pretty sure I could go to the local thrift store and find a dress or shoes in good shape for not very much money, but that wouldn't necessarily convince me that manifesting works.  So I went for the protein powder - for FREE.  Now that would be hard to come by!  Being the natural sceptic that I am, I wanted to really put this manifesting stuff to the test. 

I printed out a picture of the protein powder and taped it in the middle of a piece of cardstock, which I then placed on my mirror.  I stood and stared at it.  I imagined what it would be like to be holding that bag, what the packaging felt like, how heavy it was, how it would taste in my shake, how happy I was to actually have it in hand.  Then I did the new part.  I intentionally scanned my brain for ideas on how to make it a reality.  Did I have any?  Yes!  One thing popped up.  I could post on FB to see if anyone had a bag they didn't want and weren't using, any flavor, which I did immediately.  

The next day I repeated the exercise, looking at the picture, imagining, scanning.  Ideas?  Yes!  Another idea popped into my brain.  Maybe I could pay for it with "points" that you get from buying stuff from doTERRA.  I knew I had points.  I just didn't know a lot about them.  I was pretty sure you had to buy something to use them, but I didn't really know what the parameters were, and it was the weekend so I couldn't contact them to ask.  

The next day was Monday.  No response on my FB request.  I drove over to the doTERRA product center as soon as I could.  Closed. It was President's Day.  

The next day was Tuesday.  Again, I drove over.  I could have called, but I did actually have one other item I had purchased and hadn't picked up from before I started on this manifesting journey.  I figured it would just be easier to talk to someone in person.  They were open, so I went in, stood in line, and approached the window when it was my turn.  

I explained to the lady on the other side of the window that I had one product to pick up, but wondered if I could add protein powder to my order, and use my points to pay for it.  She told me I could, and that I would just need to pay a $3 fee for the use of the points.  Cool!  So it wasn't free, but it was close to free!  THEN, the thing that really astounded me and made me a believer came next.  She asked me if I wanted to use my "commission points" to pay the $3?  "What are commission points?" I asked.  I had never heard of them.   She explained to me that when people are signed up under you and you consistently order and so do they, that you accumulate commission points.  Apparently I had $26 in commission points.  

Let me make it clear here that I had been going to the doTERRA product center every month to pick up my orders for FOUR years.  FOUR.  In all that time, no one had ever told me about commission points, or asked me if I wanted to use them.  I can pretty much guarantee I had not just barely accumulated these points.  But here I was, working on manifesting something for free, and a way opens up to take even the $3 charge off so I can get the product for free.  WHAT???!!   I about fell through the floor.  "Yes, that would be wonderful" I calmly told her, while literally jumping up and down inside.  

Soon I had my protein powder in hand.  It felt just the way I had imagined as I hugged it to my chest.  "Wow!  What just happened?  Manifesting worked!  I'm going right home to try it again!"  And I did! 

 I went a little crazy and put 3 things on my vision board this time: 

1.  Free or low cost shingles for the front of the house (has been sitting unfinished for over a year)

2.  A 6-week paying life coaching client

3.  A business project I'm currently working on finished and submitted asap.   

Stay tuned to see how it goes!