The Power Of Habits
By: Shannon Rollins
Tags: Health, Habit Building, Healthy Lifestyle, Habits, Storytelling

I remember it like it was yesterday.

I was a struggling college student; I was in poor health and tired all the time. I had gained 20 lbs and I was also battling anxiety and depression. I wasn’t confident with who I was and didn’t know why I was physically sick constantly.

All I wanted was to feel good about myself and wake up every day and not feel pressure. I would try to set the exercise goal of working out 5 days a week. Then I would stop. A few months later I would start again. Then I would stop.

I would ask myself, why can’t I follow through with this? I became so frustrated because I wanted to have more energy & to lose weight. Then I would have a stress flare up and go to the cafeteria and order a large pad Thai Noodle dish as big as my head… and mow it down like the apocalypse was coming.

I’d tried everything under the sun to stick with an exercise program. I would buy the program and then dread and then always brought myself back to my bad habits. Everytime I “fell off the wagon” I didn’t only disappoint myself but also disappointed people around me.I would go extreme lengths to avoid people who I KNEW were going to ask me about “that thing” I had set out to do…

To be honest, I didn’t like myself. But you know what’s the most frustrating part? I knew I had what it takes to change my life. I would tell myself, “we can do this, Shannon.”

But the problem was I was extremely overwhelmed with stress and fatigue.

The thing that makes me even more frustrated is that I would see my clients do the same exact thing. I used to work corporate wellness where employees would come into the fitness center to work out. They would come in SO excited to make a change and meet their goal.. for the wedding, the new guy, for New Years. After a few weeks I would see them not come in anymore…they had lost motivation. That’s when I knew I needed to shift my coaching methods to focus on habit methods rather than motivation.

I teach my clients the same thing that I learned which got me where I am today. Focusing on small habits which can compound into big behaviors/goals.

Fast forward 10 years now, I have participated in triathlons, half marathons, crossfit competitions, bodybuilding shows… and it all started from the one positive habit of walking everyday.

As my life moved forward I still knew that something wasn’t right, I was missing something that was important to me…

My relationship with my dad was lacking.. I knew that in part was because I wasn’t making an effort and was working all the time. I put the priority of being healthy and successful above the priority of family.

I KNEW this was the next habit I needed to focus on, to make decisions that result in a more positive relationship with my family. By following the SAME principles I followed during my health goals, I found it effective and easy to shift my thinking and build the habit of being a better daughter with certain action steps that I could take everyday.

And this can happen for you too.

If you’ve been trying everything under the sun to start positive behaviors…

If you feel like you have nothing left in you….

If you’ve sat at home and said to yourself, “I give up, I’m just not athletic.”

Or

“I don’t have the time for this, it’s too much.”

Remember that you have the capacity to build the healthy lifestyle you want on your terms….While adopting a positive attitude…And waking up feeling good!

Avoid the mistakes that cause overwhelm and stress and believe me when I say, the best project to work on is you.

Do you want to be the first to know about my Building Habits Blueprint Course being released soon? Text WELLNESS to 66866 so I can let you know once it’s out!

Liv Well,

Shannon