I have a client who was celebrating a huge win. She had set a goal to have certain habits in place, and after just a few weeks of working together, she met her goal.

Not only did she meet all her goals, but she also added on a few extras and developed the tools she needed to tackle any new habit she wanted to create.

She felt accomplished, and we took time to acknowledge, soak it in, and celebrate all her hard work.

Then she asked me, "What now?"

My response was to keep going. Just because our time together was ending, her new habits weren't. She had created habits that could morph and grow with her for a lifetime. Plus, she had the foundation and the tools to create any new habit she wanted.

When I partner with clients, they choose the habit they want to work on, and then together, we create a sustainable and manageable plan they can have for a lifetime.

When people first come to me, sustainable habits sound appealing, but they have yet to have success with habits, so it doesn't seem attainable.

When you have yet to succeed with your habits, they can feel challenging and unenjoyable.

If your habits feel hard and you can't imagine keeping them in place for a lifetime, then you probably need new habits.

If you don't enjoy some aspects of your habits, you won't keep doing them.

This doesn't mean you will always like them; showing up is usually the most challenging part of maintaining habits. But there has to be something about it you enjoy.

I had a client who constantly told me he didn't enjoy exercise. However, he wanted to add it to his daily routine because he wanted to be healthier.

While he didn't enjoy the exercise, he did enjoy how he felt afterward.

Maintaining that habit would have been very challenging if he hadn't noticed or liked how he felt afterward.

The same can be said for my yoga practice. I have been practicing for over 22 years. If I didn't enjoy it, there is no way I could have continued to practice for this long. It doesn't mean I overflow with enthusiasm every time I roll my mat out, but the feeling I get after keeps me coming back for more.

Sometimes, people don't love their habits because it is something they think they "should" be doing.

I have had clients tell me they could lose more weight if they ran than if they walked. But they don't like to run, so they don't do it.

Wouldn't it be better to do what you enjoy more and show up every day than to do what you don't enjoy and not show up consistently or at all?

I'm going to tell you the answer: 100% yes!

When I thought I had to show up for my breathing practice for 45 minutes daily, it made it harder to show up. I didn't always have 45 minutes available. Sometimes, I would skip it instead of doing just a little bit.

I realized over time that I could commit to 15 minutes daily. I could always find 15 minutes to sit and breathe; if I had more time, I could do more, but I knew I could commit to that minimum.

That small shift brought me back to a daily practice that helped me feel grounded, centered, and calm. I started looking forward to it again. It felt easy to sit down each day.

If your habits are feeling unsustainable, take a look at whether you are enjoying them or not. You may not love the act, but figure out what part you enjoy. And if you can’t find anything enjoyable, make sure it is a habit you want to have and not one you feel like you “should” be doing.

Those small shifts make all the difference and help you create consistent and sustainable habits.