How Do You Create a New Practice, Habit, or Behavior?

When I coach people, many times they want to create a new practice or a new behavior and the question is where do I start?
​I advise people to begin with promises, promises can be a very powerful tool to create a future that was not going to happen anyway.
​When you think about it, when you make a promise, it is almost as if you are casting out into the future a new reality, one that was not predictable.
​You do not need to promise to breathe or to wake up tomorrow, likely those things will predictably happen.
What we use promising for is creating the "unpredictable", something that was not going to happen anyway.
​So if you are committed to creating a new practice in your life, a new behavior, a new habit, whether it is around your finances, well being or your relationship, begin with creating a promise.

For instance, to create closeness in your relationship, promise to hug your partner 2x a day.
To create energy, promise to go for a walk 30 minutes a day, three times a week.
To create financial abundance or stability, promise to put 5% of your paycheck into a separate savings account.
Any promises you make. I advise putting them into your calendar so that you are not leaving it up to your memory to run the show. Memory is not a reliable resource for creating new realities and your calendar will be a place where you can track the % of times you kept your word regarding your promises, in reality.
Every time you keep a promise you are building muscle with your word and building a new "practice with your actions".​

If you notice you are not keeping your promises, take a note about what it was that "messed" with you in keeping that promise. What got in the way? What reason or justification did you use to explain not keeping your promise?
​This is a win win game, if you keep your word you build muscle and new practices, if you don't you bring to light what messes with you in life.
​So why not create a few promises that will enable you to create the life you want?
​​Let me know what you discover out of doing this.