Hey Reader,

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Congrats on making it to Day Five of the challenge!

After digging deep into some of the sources of your stress this week, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed in terms of where to start actually implementing changes and taking action.

This is why today's theme is all about how you can go about building healthy habits that are successful in the long term.

Remember, knowledge isn't necessarily power - taking action is power! So if you're ready to take action and really start seeing massive results, make sure you don't miss out on your invitation for a free Breakthrough Session with me!

In this free 30 minute video call, we will:

• Assess your own experience and identify your priorities and what an action plan could look like
• Answer your specific questions and give you additional information about what is going on with you
• Explore how I can support you going forward, if you’re ready to take back control of your life.

You will walk away from the breakthrough with clarity on what you can do to manage and significantly reduce your digestive symptoms and the confidence that it no longer has to control your life.

​Head over here to book your complementary Breakthrough Session.​

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Day Five: Building Healthy Habits

Before we dive into how to successfully cultivate a new habit, let’s quickly differentiate between a habit and a goal.

A goal is a desired end result that you’re working towards. Once it is achieved, that’s it. A habit, on the other hand, is on-going. There isn’t necessarily an end point. It’s something that you do often and regularly, sometimes even without really realizing you’re doing it.

A habit can contribute to achieving a goal, but they aren’t interchangeable.

Establishing a new habit requires energy; you’re changing something in your current routine or reality, and for most people that is more complicated than just simply making the decision and going with it. For many it means making the decision over and over again until it become second nature. Some say that it takes 21 days, some say a month, others 100 days… there’s no exact figure you can expect as it’s going to depend on the individual as well as what the habit specifically is.

One important aspect to be clear on is your motivation for starting a new habit. Why is this change something you desire – and is that reason strong enough to motivate you even when you feel resistance? Some people need to feel like another is expecting it of them – that feeling of accountability. But you also need to check in with yourself to be sure it’s something you want as well. (Remember the Masterclass exercise, this is exactly what step 2 is all about!). For others, accountability isn’t as important; you need to internally buy-in to the reason for making the change and truly believe it is needed.

Once you’re satisfied with your motivation, there are many different techniques you can use to boost your chances of success long-term.

• Monitoring: track your habit in some way, like crossing off days in a calendar
• Scheduling: book time in your agenda for the new habit and make it an appointment with yourself
• Convenience: what can you do to make it as easy as possible for you to keep the habit going
• Accountability: can you work with someone to help you stay accountable for making the change
• Combinations: what habits do you already have that you could link to this new one; when you do one, you do the other

It’s also important to consider possible roadblocks that might arise. For example, if you’re trying to start a habit that must take place in the morning, you might need to look out for other morning commitments or perhaps for late nights that will make it more difficult.

Before even getting started with your habit, consider the next 30 days, and take some time to problem solve anything that may come up. Having a plan in advance can make a huge difference in your success.

And finally, it’s important to reflect and evaluate along the way. Have you been successful, why or why not? What can you learn to then apply to other habits and moving forward? Is this change serving you and bringing you joy? Do you even want to continue with it? Just because you feel like you “should” do something, doesn’t always mean it’s the right course of action. If it’s not bringing you joy, consider stopping and moving on, or changing the habit in some way.

Day Five Action Step

After completing the worksheet for today you’ll have identified one habit (at least) that you want to work on. So today’s action is simple – do it! And as a bonus step, set a reminder in your agenda for one week and one month from now to reflect and evaluate your progress.

Watch Today's Video:

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P.S. Still haven't watched the Masterclass? Click here to check out the replay; it's only available for a little more than 24 hours!