What is Behaviour?

Behaviour is akin to your day to day actions. Why is this important? It affects everything you touch. It's the main driver of cause and effect. Actions are the movers of reality, driven by our feelings, beliefs and conditioning (internal or external) Behaviour is affected by everything you are and affects everything you will become. 

​how are you living your life?

​There's no right or wrong answer. It's not even a question that needs to be answered; however, it does help to look within, or to consider your past to ask yourself this question. Pay attention to what your inner voice says about this. 

​Did you recieve an encouraging anser from within, or a depressing one?

how am i living my life?

​For several months now, I've been making a conscious effort to make NO complaints, to avoid phrases like "I want to" "I should" or "I need to"

As a result, any depression I may have had in the past has all but vanished. I wake up feeling ready for the day that lies ahead. Now, I'm not a perfect Specimin here, I'm a human being with human vices. Sometimes I slip back into the old patterns, but paying conscious attention to my behaviour, both internally via my thoughts and externally via my actions/habits/routines/processes, has given me a certain level of awareness that I wouldn't otherwise have noticed.

Am i conscious of my behaviour

​Short answer yes, but why? Nobody's perfect as I may have mentioned, but the behavioural awareness factor provides a good indicator of whether or not I'm on track towards the larger vision that I have for my life.

How can I tell?

​This is the challenge isn't it? What is the best way to tell if one is conscious of ones behaviour? Perhaps it's a matter of taste, considering human personality archetypes, and each individuals own experiences/patterns/etc, there's no one-sized-fits-all approach to this. Some people meditate, others journal, others have conversations with people they trust, while the less-aware most likely avoid it entirely in favour of escapism and instant gratification.

Behavioural review

assigning the past a positive meaning

​This is the action of reflecting on the past as a way to improve. One might look back on a past mistake and see it as either a failure or an opportunity to learn. It's the concept of duality, which I won't get into too deeply right here, it's simply a matter of perspective and which perspective you choose to embrace.

a journal of affirmations

​An affirmation is a Statement like "I'm Grateful For __" or "I am ___." Be aware of the power of the words you choose for this. In keeping with the principle of beginning with the end in mind, an affirmation is made as if you have already achieved the outcome. It's powerful because it helps you train your mind to begin to believe it through repetition, but be aware that the shift in action does not necessarily happen right away. It takes a certain level of commitment to it. Affirmations are a technique that can be used to effectively Re-wire the mind for a better result in the day-to-day. 

​An affirmation is a Statement like "I'm Grateful For __" or "I am ___." Be aware of the power of the words you choose for this. In keeping with the principle of beginning with the end in mind, an affirmation is made as if you have already achieved the outcome. It's powerful because it helps you train your mind to begin to believe it through repetition, but be aware that the shift in action does not necessarily happen right away. It takes a certain level of commitment to it. Affirmations are a technique that can be used to effectively Re-wire the mind for a better result in the day-to-day. 

goals

​Goals are akin to wants. They're the outcomes you want to achieve, and steadfast mindfulness and articulation of said goals can help one create the desire that is necessary to drive the behaviour necessary to achieve them.

checklists

​With the goal in mind, a checklist can provide a step-by-step playbook on how to get moving. Checklists are great for repeatable daily tasks since they remove mental energy from a new routine that is being cultivated so that you can focus on more important things (like creativity.) From there it's a matter of taking the time to go through the motions. It can also provide an easy reference for when you're contemplating your day by simply asking yourself 'Did I spend time on the things, or not?'

A law of cause and affect

​I was reading a book called What to Say When You Talk to Yourself by Shad Helmstetter. He explained the concept of personal development in a very practical way - at 5 levels. It really struck a chord with me. I'm still reflecting on it, but I wanted to share it. 

 Basically, each level was described as being directly influenced by the next one. 

1- Behaviour
2- Feelings
3- Attitudes
4- Beliefs
5- Conditioning

It's interesting to conceptualize this as a way to maintain a decent mindset, Imagine yourself doing a quick self-check with these categories in mind. What do you notice?

why am i here?