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What Are Your Anchor Habits and Why Do You Need Them?

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Anchor Habits

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle

An anchor is a device that is used to connect a vessel to the bed of a body of water to prevent the craft from drifting due to wind or current. When the vessel starts to drift away from its intended location, the anchor helps protect it by securing its spot and not letting it drift too far away.

When you think about it, some of our habits serve as anchors for us. When we start to drift away from where we want to be, there are certain habits you can start doing that will almost immediately help bring you back to your center and to your intended direction.

Activities or Practices That Help Anchor Us

One of my anchor habits is yoga. If I maintain a regular yoga practice of at least once a week (twice or more times per week is better, and daily is ideal), then it is much easier for me to maintain my other health and fitness habits of eating more vegetables, drinking eight or more glasses of water per day, maintaining a healthy weight, and relaxing more and being present in the moment. When I stop doing yoga, I tend to drift out to sea a bit, my healthy eating habits start to slip, and I feel more stressed and less like myself.

Anchor Habits At Home

Another example of an anchor habit that we often see in the home is keeping a clean sink. You will find if you are able to keep your sink clean, meaning the dishes are all washed and put away or in the dishwasher, it is easier to keep the rest of your house clean. Once a few dishes start to stack up on your sink or counter, it can be easy to begin to drift and before you know it, you have a much larger mess. Making the bed is another example. If you have the habit of making your bed every day, it’s easier to stay on track and anchored with the rest of your room.

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3 Ways You May Be Undermining Yourself With Your Own Words

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Your Own Words“Handle them carefully, for words have more power than atom bombs.” ~Pearl Strachan

Are you undermining yourself, both personally and professionally with your very own words? I know I’ve been guilty of it myself, more than once. I was fortunate to have a friend point it out to me so I try to be more conscious of my word choice. I have seen women in the workplace especially do this, but they’re not the only ones. Men can also fall victim to self sabotage.

Discrediting Yourself

Anytime you make a statement or give an opinion followed by something that discredits your own idea, you are sabotaging yourself.  Take for instance, a message that I received this week from an educated, intelligent, and savvy businesswoman who was giving me feedback on a document that I asked her to review. She listed some excellent suggestions but then followed them with, “Maybe these comments are too late..if so, no problem, they were just fussy little things anyway.” There was nothing fussy about her suggestions, and yet, with one comment, she discredited her own ideas.

Your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions have value. Give them the credit they deserve by stating them confidently without minimizing their importance. You will find that others will value what you have to say, when you see your own value.

The “I’m Sorry” Statement

Apologizing when you’ve done something wrong is never a bad thing. However, overusing the “I’m sorry” statement shows a lack of self confidence.  If you say you’re sorry for every little thing, you are taking the blame for things that aren’t your fault.

The “I Think” Statement

Do you preface your opinions with, “I think”  or “I guess” rather than just stating them with confidence?  Both statements produce doubt in your mind and in your listener’s about the opinion you are about to voice.

So how do you eliminate these bad habits and improve your communication?

1. Awareness The first thing is to become aware of the words you choose and how you use them. Once you are aware, you can catch yourself when you slip up and correct it. You can only change a habit when you have this awareness.

2. Challenge yourself to speak for 15 or 30 minutes without using self-sabotaging language. It can be more difficult than it sounds, but it does get easier.

3. Improve Your Confidence Work on improving your overall confidence by loving and accepting yourself. Let go of the fear and trust yourself and your instincts. You will be more confident and it will show when you speak.

What are some ways that you or others use self-sabotaging language? What techniques do you use for effective communication?  I’d love to hear them. Please comment below.

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