Break Free From Habit Hypnosis

We are such creatures of habit. Sometimes we get caught up in what I call “habit hypnosis.”

Think about your morning routine. How much of what you do is consciously decided versus done out of habit? Think about the way you take your shower, the way you brush your teeth, or what you eat for breakfast.

Think about your business routine. How much of what you do in your business actually serves your ultimate goal – to grow the business? Think about how you market your business, the way you serve your clients, or the way you schedule your day.

Now, I am not saying that having a system or a habitual way of doing things is all bad. In fact, having a great system allows you to do more and get better results.

We create our lives around systems that generally serve us. However, what tends to happen after some time is that we get so caught up with our system, our way of doing things, that it takes a jolt to snap us out of this “habit hypnosis” state.

This jolt may come in the form of a huge and long standing client has now decided to not continue, which shakes your financial foundation. Or, it could come from a personal situation that now changes your availability for your business.

I have learned and coach my clients, as well, to embrace these times. Often, that it’s just what’s needed to shake out the old to make room for new. It always leads to some form of growth, either in the business or the individual themselves.

To break out of the “habit hypnosis,” you need to take a step back and look at everything you are doing, I mean everything.

Look at how you start your work day; how you plan your day, how you deal with clients and ask yourself “Is there another way that would be more effective?”

You may not see anything blatant right away, but just by taking the time to break the cycle of “habit hypnosis”, you open the path for new ideas.

Sometimes it helps to have someone outside your business to help you gain an objective opinion or to give you new and fresh ideas.

When I work with my clients, many times they begin to see things that they do that are no longer necessary. This frees them up to do more of those activities that reap greater results.

For example, one of my clients recognized that she was spending a lot of time learning new things. She was in “learning hypnosis.”

Now, I am a total advocate for continual learning.

However, her issue was that she was learning new marketing systems, learning new product programs, learning new social media skills and was not taking the time to implement any of what she was learning.

She is NOT alone. Many business owners get caught up with this trap, myself included!

So, she made the decision to not sign up for any new program for the next 12 months and just focus on applying what she has learned already.

In less than 30 days, she has accomplished more than she was able to in the last 6 months.

So, take some time – quality time – and take a look at all that you do.

What is it that you want to accomplish? What are you doing that is getting you results? What can be done by someone else? What actions need to be eliminated?

Then, make the decision to make the necessary changes from what you discovered. Call a close business friend or hire a coach if you feel you need some support.

It’s time to break out of the “habit hypnosis” and into creating the results you desire.

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