Habits

Its a new year. Well, it was a new year not too long ago. Often with the new year people start talking about resolutions. Goals. Changes. All fine and dandy if you ask me.

Most of these involve doing this or that more than last year. Like exercise, eating healthy, visiting family and friends, etc. All worthy goals to have, I say.

But as I was driving in to work this morning, I reflected on those things that we do that may not be great for us. They may not be bad, but not great. Or a better way of looking at them is the contrast between Good, Better and Best. We may be doing some thing good, but instead of doing better or best, we settle with good.

So, I challenge you to find something in your life that you do now, something that is not huge, but pervasive, and stop doing it. Or change the good for a better or best version of the activity.

For example, do you find yourself surfing Facebook at night, or in the morning or during the day? I am not saying that this is a bad activity, but if you consistently find that this has worked itself into your routine, why not alter it? Do it differently, or maybe not at all. Spend some time connecting, instead of just reading what others have done. Try it out. See if making a change like this is better or best for your routine. Maybe you do not use it at all, Facebook that is, and the challenge could be to stretch out and use it more. I'm suggesting find something that you do and do it better or best, or even yank it out of your life entirely.

Another example is water. How much water do you drink? Is it enough? What could you do to drink more?

What about food? Do you find yourself eating out often? More often than you should? Step back, analyze, and change the habit drastically. For a small period of time. Enough time that the activity no longer has a hold on you.

How about flossing your teeth? Do you floss often enough? What can you do to do it more often? It will require a drastic change to your routine. A break of an existing habit, and an additional activity added to the habit.

Want to tie it to your works with databases? Why not? Find something that you do not do often enough, and step it up. Force yourself to incorporate it into your habits and activities. Again, often enough that it is a grand difference to your schedule and routine. Or maybe you need to remove something from your routine. Either way.

I challenge you to find the thing you will remove, or add more frequent and better or best actions to be performed. Incorporate this into your routine, or remove it from your routine. Continue with this for a small period of time, and measure the results on the other side. Challenge released.

If you accept the challenge, regardless of outcome (positive/negative) please let us all know what you did by adding to the comments so we can see examples.

Now, go to, alter your life, in a small way, and better yourself for it!