It’s no secret that the year 2020 has been the most trying year for the majority of us. Most of us had to pivot in our careers, professions, education, etc. At the same time, we’ve had to embrace a lot of changes from the way we shop, eat, communicate with our loved ones, colleagues, and even complete strangers. Most have had to try new things, learn to rely on technology and make sacrifices they never thought they would have to make.

With all of that taking place, the one thing we can’t lose is our determination to keep moving forward and achieving the goals that we have set out for ourselves. It is something that we can look forward to and keep our purpose in the “windshield” of our daily lives. Better stated is that we cannot sacrifice our daily commitments regardless of the economical and personal “climates” that are around us.

Here are three simple commitments that we can make right now that will change our habits for the better and, more importantly, for the greater good in our lives as well:

1. Make your bed

Perhaps the easiest and yet most overlooked commitment that we can make to ourselves every single day is to make the bed. This seems trivial to most; however, making your bed in the morning can have a major impact on your mental and physical health. Having that sense of accomplishment to start your day off is so important and according to a study done by CNBC, it showed that 82% of people who make their bed first thing in the morning felt productive all day because they completed that small task to start their day.

At the same time, 74% of those that make their bed in the morning felt productive at the end of the day as well as the 50% of non-bed makers did not feel accomplished at the end of the day.  According to the same study, those that make their bed were immediately productive when they arrived at work while those that did not make their bed did not start their work day productive at all.

“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.” – Benjamin Franklin

2. Write down your goals

Writing down your goals everyday is not only an easy commitment to make to yourself but a very important one as well. If you polled the most successful business minds and entrepreneurs in the world about what their daily habits consist of, most would include writing down their goals as one of those habits. In a study conducted by Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at Dominica University in California, found that participants were 42% more likely to achieve their goals just by writing them down.

I personally write my goals down in the morning and then again when I go to bed at night. For me, writing down your goals is such a commitment of empowerment because you are not only taking the time to write them down but by doing so you are affirming to yourself those things that are important to you and have a bigger meaning for you as well. It is such an important habit to create for yourself because, in my opinion, writing down your goals every day is a way to measure your progress as well as give you a sense of purpose which serves as your daily “checkup from the neck up”.

3. Tell someone thank you

According to an article written in Forbes online by Jon Dwoskin, it was stated that the greatest gift that you can give someone is to show them that they matter. One of the ways that you can do that is to say thank you to them. This is also a commitment that you need to make right now to do every single day until it becomes a habit. This is a selfish habit because, for me it brings so much more than just a warm feeling of doing something nice.

It offers me a sense of accomplishment in knowing that by telling someone you know or even a complete stranger thank you, you are positively impacting that person’s current mood and mindset. At the same time, you never know how impactful those two words could be to someone.

For example, I remember a time when someone purchased my Starbucks for me in the drive thru and I paid it forward by doing the same for someone behind me. That person honked the horn at me then pulled up next to me at a redlight just to tell me thank you. That particular morning was not a great one for me and I remember how good I felt after that person took the time to go completely out of her way just to say thank you to me. It totally shifted my mindset from feeling down and somewhat depressed to being very upbeat and almost euphoric.

I now make it a habit every single day to tell at least three people thank you no matter if I know them or not because I want to be an agent of change in the world for good and I can’t think of a better habit to have in that regards than to tell someone thank you and be thankful for those opportunities to do so. 

“The soul, like the body, accepts by practice whatever habit one wishes it to contact.” – Socrates

These three simple habits are costly, they don’t require a fancy education, and certain places on the economical hierarchy but rather are free and easy to apply right away in your life. Previously in this article I paraphrased someone that said the best gift you could give someone is to show them that they matter. While that is right, I believe the best gift you could give yourself is to show you that you matter and in doing so it starts with the habits that you will create in your life. Start with these three and if you do them everyday just sit back and watch the impact that it has on your life and the lives of others that your example sets for them as well.