What would you do if you knew that it only took 21 days to better yourself?  Experts have found that all it takes is three weeks to completely form new habits.  Some people may want to stop smoking, others may want to start exercising in the morning.  If you commit to performing your newly created habit for three weeks, you will be well on your way to maintaining that habit.

As a test, I have decided to start running at lunchtime.  I’ve done it off and on, but never been able to stick with it.  I always come up with an excuse somewhere between a week and two weeks into my new way of life.  Not this time, though.  I plan to run over lunch three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and also on Saturdays.  I know that working out in the middle of the day helps put me in a better frame of mind since I’m able to get up from my desk and move around - even if it’s only for 35 min or so.  I come back to my desk feeling refreshed and more able to cope with the next batch of issues headed my way.

I would challenge everyone to commit to a new goal for the next three weeks, as big or as little as you want.  Wouldn’t it be great to know you’ll be a better person in that short amount of time?  Why not try something as simple as smiling every time you answer the phone?  It’ll put you in a better mood and the person on the other end will be able to tell in an instant that you’re looking forward to what they have to say.

Twenty-one days, here we come! 

For more on the original research, check out Maxwell Maltz’s Psycho-Cybernetics.