Personal Habits: Free to a Good Home!

Continue to develop habits that add to your character and integrity. Such habits make you even more pleasant to be around - and this is a huge plus in any business setting.

Why? Because your personal success depends a great deal on how well you interact with other people – in your home, community, school, church and so on. They make you a better person!

What are two or three you might begin to work on this week? Or even one? How about responsibility? Generosity? Being on time or doing what you say you will? Delivering on your commitments, for example, is a valuable habit to develop early in life. In fact, just keeping your word can favorably distinguish you because so many fail to do so. (Just be sure to make commitments wisely, because over-promising can be a real pain to deliver on!)

None of the above habits need to cost you money. Responsibility is simply doing what you need to do. Being generous doesn’t mandate buying something for someone. Instead, how about being generous with your time, a smile, your consideration for others?

Think about the interactions you have with other people that you’ve enjoyed. Isn’t it nicer to have an interaction with a salesperson who is polite, a teacher who is patient, or a neighbor who is kind? Those are the kind of attractive habits you want to develop on purpose. Everyone needs good role models. You now have the opportunity to become that for others.

Action item: Begin to keep a list to record your progress. List the habit you’ll begin to work on. Then, record every time when and where you practiced it, and how it made you feel. Each item is your own personal achievement. That is something to celebrate! Add a second habit goal to master, then a third. With each one, you are disciplining yourself not only to become a better human being, but also a better businessperson someday. It is an investment in yourself that will repay you over and again. You won’t be sorry you made the effort!