I recently wrote about how your beliefs ultimately become your destiny through the chain of thoughts, words, actions, and habits. I asked, “What’s the number one behavior you could STOP doing and START doing that would have the biggest impact on your life?” 

Today we address fundamental, foundational behaviors (blocks) that, when practiced consistently, enable you to live at your fullest potential. 

These foundations are:

• Breathing, 
• Sleeping, 
• Eating, 
• And moving. 

Sure, you do them daily, but are you doing them mindfully or mindlessly? Also, are you doing them the best you can? 

For example:

• Are you breathing through your nose and down into your belly?
• Are you sleeping enough and with good quality? 
• Are you eating well and in the right amount? 
• Are you moving every day with intention (even a little bit)? 

No matter what other empowering self-mastery habits you already practice, if you don’t give attention to your breath, sleep, food and movement, you can’t be optimal in the other areas of your life. 

How can you be fully present with your kids when you’re tired and cranky? How can you exercise if you aren’t properly rested and fueled? 

Four Tips on How To Improve Your Fundamental Blocks

When we talk about improving your fundamental or foundational blocks, the first step is bringing their current status into awareness. You’ve heard me say that before. You can’t change something you aren’t aware of. 

So how are you doing in each area? Be honest. You can lie to yourself, but why would you do that? The next step is figuring out how to improve each of them. 

Let’s say your current self-ranking in each area is a 5 out of 10.  What ONE THING can you do to make it better? 

Here are four tips that should help raise that score: 

1. Observe Yourself: Tuning into and observing your behaviors and their results can help you correct them at the moment. Raising your awareness gives you the power to shift direction at the moment.

2. Design the Habits You Want: One key to habit change and behavior success is to make the habits you want easier to adopt. You can remove the friction from going to bed a little early by putting a recurring appointment called “Bedtime” in your calendar a half hour before you want to be asleep. Also, you can make healthy eating easier by filling your kitchen with healthy foods. It’s far easier to avoid temptation than battle it.

3. Track Your Progress: What you measure, you improve. Don’t track it to punish yourself, either. When you track your sleep, food, and movement, you’re simply collecting data to evaluate your progress over time.

4. Be Persistent: Any time you make a change, it’s new and, by default, unfamiliar. Consistently and consciously course correct yourself over and over (and OVER!) again to the NEW behavior. This helps create new neuropathways and helps you get used to it. Be persistent. When you slip, just get back to it.

Final Thoughts

Focusing on the fundamentals every day builds trust and self-efficacy. It demonstrates your ability to keep your promises to yourself, which creates personal momentum and perpetuates your upward power spiral. 

Health and Arȇte,

Monica Ricci spent 20 years as an organizing and productivity consultant, speaker, and trainer. Today she coaches busy professionals and business teams, replacing unproductive habits with powerful ones so they can create the life and business they desire and deserve. Monica enjoys learning, baseball, travel, and high-quality butter.