Bad Habits ARe meant to Be Broken

​I have been enjoying a loving relationship with my wife, Aja, for more than 6 years now. I would like to attribute that to being the perfect husband, but she often reminds me that we have a great relationship despite my bad habits that she must deal with. The most egregious habit is not listening to her. I always find this one hard to believe since it is such an important part of my profession, however, Aja reminds me that it would be nice if I actively listened to her as well as I do with my clients.

I have been enjoying a loving relationship with my wife, Aja, for more than 6 years now. I would like to attribute that to being the perfect husband, but she often reminds me that we have a great relationship despite my bad habits that she must deal with. The most egregious habit is not listening to her. I always find this one hard to believe since it is such an important part of my profession, however, Aja reminds me that it would be nice if I actively listened to her as well as I do with my clients.

Thankfully, this bad habit of mine is not a deal-breaker in our relationship, however, it is often a bone of contention that I need to correct if I want to continue to build a harmonious relationship.

Breaking bad habits is not an easy task. It takes awareness, focus, and effort.

It is helpful when a spouse, friend, coworker, or boss will point out a habit that needs to be addressed. Additionally, it is important to be able to look at yourself and try to identify habits that are adversely affecting you in reaching your goals and growing your practice. Understanding what you are doing or not doing to effectively grow your network and win more work is the critical first step.

Once you have identified a habit that needs to be changed, focus on the steps you should take to change it that are realistic and sustainable.  It is helpful to work with a mentor, coach, or even your spouse to help you identify what you need to do, receive feedback on your progress, and keep you accountable.

This all takes effort and the willingness to change. Knowing that you need to lose weight is one thing. Taking the steps to change your diet and exercise regime is another. That said, making too drastic of a step like cutting out all sugar overnight or running 10 miles in a day after not having run for years is not always realistic. Making small steps over time is more sustainable.

Think about the habits in your work that might be hindering your growth and start taking the steps to change them in a reasonable and progressive manner. Be realistic yet intentional. Just thinking about it won’t accomplish much. Start by acting now and slowly ramp up. For example, if you find yourself letting weeks go by without doing much business development, try to carve out 10-15 minutes a day dedicated to BD. It is very little time to invest, and it adds up over the weeks and months.

My wife will remind me when I don’t listen to her, yet I continue to focus on intentionally and actively listening to her. It is not easy at times when I have a lot of other distractions going on in my head, especially as my business continues to grow, yet I cannot use that as an excuse. Our relationship is too important for me not to continue to work on changing a habit that won’t necessarily change overnight.