WHY A GOOD HABITS LIST IS VITAL FOR EVERY FAMILY
A good habits list is like the foundation of a house. It has to be sturdy to bear the building’s weight and to avoid the whole structure collapsing.
A family list of habits is a powerful basis for a successful life.
In times of crisis, good personal habits act as a lighthouse to a floundering boat.
It steers you away from crashing and into the safety of calm waters.
WHAT IS A HABIT?
Let’s first examine what a habit is.
It is an activity that is done on a daily basis and has a beneficial effect.
Examples of good habits are physical activities like exercising daily and healthy eating.
WHY ARE HABITS IMPORTANT?
Your beliefs become your thoughts.
Your thoughts become your words.
Your words become your actions.
Your actions become your habits.
Your habits become your values.
Your values become your destiny.
Mahatma Gandhi
Habits are linked to goals. For example, if you want to read a book a week, you will have to first cultivate a reading habit.
You may start with reading for 15 minutes a day and then over time increase the set time until you are able to read a book in a week.
So, a daily habit needs regular and disciplined practice for it to stick and for your desired goal to be reached.
THE BENEFIT OF A GOOD HABITS LIST FOR YOUR FAMILY
So, just what’s the deal with a list of habits for your family to follow?
Well, good habits have the power to transform the quality of the lives of your family.
They are like moonlight on a dark night: their vital function is to steer and guide you to live your life well.
The positive effect of good habits is living a life that is marked by admirable morals and values.
These are especially important today when there are so many negative influences that can easily lead you astray.
An example is bullying at high school is very common.
If your teen subscribed to your good habits list, he would be able to stand up and refuse to conform to bullying.
In fact, he may vehemently oppose it by reporting it to the authorities.
A family good habits list acts as a guide and is the hallmark of the world’s most successful people.
For instance, a child learns early that if he wants to be a college professor, his grades have to be good.
So he develops good study habits and a great work ethic to help him make his dream come true.
RELATED: 7 INSIDER SECRETS TO AWESOME FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
GOOD HABITS FOR A FAMILY TO DEVELOP
A MORNING ROUTINE
In Create a Morning Routine That Works For You, Jeffrey Davis M.A. describes a morning routine as:
a set of repeated actions performed in the same sequence to assure optimal productivity, focus, and creativity
You need to create a morning routine for your family that charges them with positivity for the day ahead. Click To Tweet
It must steadily gear them towards a can do instead of a can’t do mindset.
Some ideas for your daily morning routine:
– Get up early
– Deep breathing exercises
– Meditation
– Morning Yoga to a YouTube channel
– Reading from a Spiritual/ Personal Development text
– Reciting or writing out daily affirmations
Regular practice of this morning routine ensures greater productivity at school or work.
A HEALTHY BREAKFAST
Ever had the embarrassment of your rumbling tummy betraying you in an important meeting?
This is probably due to your skipping breakfast.
So just what’s in it for you if you have a healthy breakfast daily. It:
– Gives you the energy you need for the day
– steadies the blood sugar level all day
– Keeps you full all day
– Helps with concentration and productivity
Keep your breakfasts simple – oatmeal ( takes just 5 mins), topped with almonds and sliced fresh fruit, tea/ coffee/ fruit juice.
To help you save time and avoid skipping breakfast, draw up a breakfast menu.
For more quick easy ideas for breakfasts, check out this blog post by Eva of evainterrupted.com: Making the Most Out of Your Mornings (part 1).
Your family will be happier, healthier and more productive with this one simple change.
READING
Have you ever thought of making a special time for family reading?
In an article in Inc, Habits of the Most Successful Leaders That Can Change Your Life Too, Marissa Levin revealed the reading habits of a few world leaders:
• Warren Buffet reads 500 pages a day
• Mark Cuban reads 3 hours a day
• Bill Gates reads 50 books a year
If you’re anything like me, you’re dead serious about your role as a parent.
You want to give your kids every skill they need to have a successful life.
Reading, and a special family reading time is like a steroid shot to the brain.
If you need convincing, let’s take a look at some of the advantages of reading.
It:
– provides you with an escape from reality
– allows you to travel the world without the cost
– builds powerful values such as empathy and compassion
– improves vocabulary and makes you smarter
– develops analytical skills and improves the memory
– grows discipline
How to ensure success:
– tap into each child’s special interests to start off with
– get them to read a book about a sport they play
– invite them to read a book about a favorite movie
– be flexible about the choice of reading matter
– create variety with readouts from a favorite book
– once the habit has taken root, include audiobooks.
For more ideas on how to make reading a winning family habit, read Julie’s post 25 WAYS TO MAKE READING FUN FOR YOUR CHILD.
The rich tradition of reading will build family unity and loyalty.
It will be like you and your kids share a wonderful secret that few other families do.
GARDENING
The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature
To nurture a garden is to feed not just on the body, but the soul.
Alfred Austin
Gardening is often low on the good habits list for parents.
But you stand to harvest much more than flowers, herbs, fruit, and vegetables if you adopt this habit.
Let me show you what I mean. As a family, you decide to start a garden.
Every step in the process taps into or teaches a vital skill:
• the location of the garden
• clearing the area of weeds and brush
• deciding on what to grow and when to plant
Decision-making skills such as consultation and negotiation are addressed.
As a family, you get the unique opportunity to bond while carrying out routine tasks such as weeding, watering, mulching, and harvesting.
Kids love the mucking about with water and sand, so it gives them the license to be dirty.
The added bonus is the physical exercise involved in keeping a garden.
Other benefits to your family are:
• patience and responsibility
• organizational skills
• a healthy appreciation for the beauty of nature
• a keen interest in eating what they grow
• an interest in cooking what they harvest
Get inspired to embrace the tradition of gardening and growing your own food with Gail’s amazing post, The Children’s Garden That Will Help Your Kids Bloom.
VOLUNTEERING
It is better to serve than be served.
Lailah Gifty Akita
The key, especially if you have teenagers, is to choose fun activities.
A few examples are:
• taking part in a charity fun walk or race
• a renovation project – a nursery school or old age home
So, why should your family volunteer?
Let’s look at the advantages:
• having quality time together helping the needy
• it’s an all natural mood booster
• helps to reduce stress
• builds values such as selflessness, kindness, empathy, and compassion
• improves communication and socializing skills
• meet new people and make new friends
• learn new skills
The only cost to your family is the sacrifice of time.
But the rewards are lifelong strong moral values so sorely lacking today.
If you need to be persuaded more about the power of family volunteering, read WHY FAMILY VOLUNTEERING IS ESSENTIAL TODAY
FAMILY DINNERS
How often have the greatest thoughts and ideas come to light during conversations with the family over the evening dinner?
E.A. Bucchianeri
If you’ve ever watched the TV Series, Blue Bloods, you would have noticed the importance of family dinners.
Four generations gathered together around the dinner table chatting together at the end of the day.
But, the hectic pace of modern life for parents and their kids has killed that tradition off.
Everyone is too tired after a long day at work or school to put in the time and effort to cook dinner.
There are also chores and homework to be done before the next day. So junk food or take out dinners become an easy way out.
But family dinners are a golden opportunity. You need to turn this into a fun activity.
Play some nice vibey music to signal the start of dinner prep and cooking.
Take turns to be head chef. Get the little ones to wash and shred lettuce for a salad, teens to prep veggies and hubby to marinate the chicken.
As you chop and dice, mix and slice, you chat about the events of your day.
In no time at all, a great healthy dinner will be ready but you’ve gained so much more than something to eat.
So just why should families have dinner together as often as they can?
• it’s quality, tech-free family bonding time
• it’s a great chance to truly connect with each other
Research shows other plus points about children who regularly have family dinners. They:
• develop healthy eating habits
• have a lower risk of having weight issues later in life
• have less chance of substance abuse as adults
Family dinners are also a powerful tool to build:
• social skills
• communication skills
• confidence
Long after your kids move out, family dinners will hold a special place in their memories.
They are a symbol of comfort and support, of love and nourishment and family loyalty.
YOUR TURN
This quotation sums up family habits perfectly:
A long healthy life is no accident. It begins with good genes, but it also depends on good habits.
Dan Buettner
So if you want a happy, rewarding life, you have to cultivate a garden of good habits.
What better gift can parents give their children than a tradition of good habits. They are the keys to a successful life.
Let’s recap:
A list of good family habits are:
– a great morning routine
– eating a healthy breakfast
– gardening
– reading
– volunteering
– family dinners
Do you have habits which your family adheres to? Share your story in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this post, please help to share it on Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook because parents need to embrace the power of good family habits.
Since we decided to take our big daughter to a Waldorf school, we have been learning about routines and how good is for them. Thanks for this information!
Thanks for the tips to improve the family routine. I will try them.
Can’t agree enough! Some great suggestions here. Family dinner is huge in our household, as are some other habits such as sharing good deeds, thankfuls, and prayer before bed. We are the building blocks for our children.
Absolutely. We set the example of good habits and they follow even later with their own families.
Such a good list of ideas. I definitely need to start some of theee routines while my kids are young. Especially in the morning. Thanks for some ideas!
Great article. I especially agree about the morning routine. My kids and I have a morning routine and it saves us tons of time and stress in the AM.
I love this blog! Very informative. I’m a mental health therapist and have the opportunity to work with families on parenting skills, in their nature setting. I’ve always facilitated parenting groups.
Such a great idea, Poovanesh! I am always working on personal goals, but to do it at the level of the habit, rather than the goal seems pretty powerful – and then to add the family in. I think another great family habit would be to schedule family adventure – whether that’s a “family date” night once a week where you do something together or something you do once a month that’s a little more involved – like going to a tourist attraction, trying an escape room or something else that’s in line with what your family likes to do!
Wonderful idea Nicole. Kids would love the idea of an adventure. They’d be more likely to buy into the list of good family habits.
Good habits and healthy routines are so good for kids. I have so many students who could benefit from them. Most good students already have a repertoire of great habits learned from parents, but there are so many kids that don’t.
It’s important that parents use everything they can to raise a child with good values.
Every tip is so on point, I am a firm believer of dinner at the table with no tech or tv best time to enjoy with family. Thank you for the post!