Developing a Habit

 Good morning from Linden, Guyana! It rained this morning so I did not go out for a walk. I stood outside for a while and enjoyed the soft pitter-patter of the rain.

It is hard to believe that about seven months ago, I almost never got out of bed early in the morning to exercise. Now, I regularly walk in the morning. I feel out of sorts when I miss my walk. I think I have developed a new habit - the habit of early morning exercise. You may recall that I wanted to develop this habit badly. I wrote about it in one of my LinkedIn articles/notes (link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/habits-success-fahmeena-odetta-moore-/?trackingId=HdNIHpV%2BTZu9K%2F%2FmJLd6Aw%3D%3D).

So how did I develop the habit? The regular exercise in rehab (needed so I could use my legs normally again) may have had something to do with it. I exercised daily in rehab, but after rehab, I was at home not doing much exercise. After arriving in Guyana from the United States, I was again not doing much exercise. One day, I just felt like taking a walk to exercise my legs. I knew exercising my legs would do me good. The walk made me tired and I was panting at the end of it, but I was pleased that I walked. That was a good day that led to many more like it. I was just motivated. Before long, I was planning to walk early in the morning rather than later in the day.

I really do believe motivation plays a big role in developing (and maintaining) a new habit such as exercising. People need to figure out what motivates them. It could be the desire to fit into a particular dress, or the need to ensure that their actions do not exacerbate a health situation, or the need to escape a horrible outcome such as losing a limb. Motivation helps you to keep going to achieve a goal.