Whatever Is Excellent with Leanne Tuggle
Encouragement and Inspiration for women choosing to rise above the “just survive” mentality and instead set their mind on thriving in all that they say and do. The ultimate goal is to equip you to pursue whatever is excellent in the midst of your ordinary life and in all that you say and do.
Whatever Is Excellent with Leanne Tuggle
28: Habits - The Invisible Architects of Your Life
Looking at your phone first thing in the morning instead of your Bible? Arriving at destinations with no memory of how you got there? These automatic behaviors reveal the hidden power of habits—routines that shape our lives while operating beneath our conscious awareness.
The small, daily decisions we make gradually determine our life's trajectory. As Scripture reminds us, "The beginning of wisdom is this: get wisdom." But wisdom isn't cultivated through occasional grand gestures—it's built through consistent, seemingly insignificant choices that accumulate over time. Just as a pilot adjusting course by 3.5 degrees eventually lands hundreds of miles from the intended destination, our tiny habit adjustments create massive life changes, for better or worse.
When examining habits that may be leading us astray, the process begins with awareness. Track patterns in your day, especially during moments of frustration. Identify triggers, pause before responding automatically, and replace unhelpful habits with life-giving alternatives. Something as simple as switching from a phone alarm to a traditional alarm clock can transform chaotic mornings into peaceful devotional time—proving that seemingly minor changes can radically reshape our days and, ultimately, our character. As we embrace this journey of habit evaluation and revision, we're invited to choose grace over guilt, aiming to become just 1% better each time rather than perfect all at once. Remember, "It's the little things that establish a life. Build a wise one, one habit at a time." Ready to examine one habit this week that might be silently directing your days?
Recommended Books:
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmel Earley
The Common Rule by Justin Whitmel Earley
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Have you ever arrived somewhere and then realized when you got there that you have no memory of the drive? This happens to me way more than I care to admit, but this is the power of habits they operate beneath the surface. A habit, by definition, is a routine or a behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur automatically with little or no conscious thought. I'm going to admit right now that I am a little bit of a nerd when it comes to habits. I absolutely love creating habits and systems in my life so that I can alleviate mental clutter through automation. Currently, I am leading a women's Bible study and, in addition to studying scripture, we are reading through the book Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmill early Habits of the Household by Justin Whitmill Early. Needless to say, habits have been on my mind a lot lately and since it is the start of the second quarter of the year at the time of this recording, I feel like it's a good time to discuss and reflect on habits. So think back for a moment, or perhaps look through your journals and consider the intentions or the goals or resolutions that you set at the start of this year. How are you progressing towards those intentions and goals right now? Now, I'm not asking you this question to make you feel guilty or ashamed if you've maybe fallen off from your initial intentions. This question is simply a pulse check. We're three months into the year. How are things going? What's working, what's not working? It's an opportunity to reflect and make necessary adjustments.
Leanne:Right now, the church that I attend here on the Monterey Peninsula is going through the book of Proverbs, verse by verse, and Proverbs, as you likely know, is part of the wisdom collection of books in the Bible, so each verse is full of wisdom and truth, designed to provide guidance. Proverbs 4, 7 says the beginning of wisdom is this get wisdom. And whatever you get, get insight. I love that verse. It's so straightforward get insight. I love that verse. It's so straightforward Get wisdom. This is a good place to start.
Leanne:The habits and choices that you make shape you and they determine your path. Wisdom leads you towards the fullest life possible, like the best possible version of your life. Like the best possible version of your life, wisdom leads you in that direction. The path that you choose today impacts your tomorrow. So it is important to stop and evaluate your habits periodically throughout the year to ensure that you are still on the right path, the wise path, and if you do see something that is amiss or not quite right, the best way to change the trajectory of your life is to start by noticing your habits. James Clear, the author of the book Atomic Habits, gives this example Imagine a pilot of an airplane traveling from Los Angeles to New York City. If this pilot were to adjust the heading of the airplane just 3.5 degrees south, which is really a very small amount, he would eventually land 225 miles away in Washington DC instead of in New York. From this example, you can see that the smallest change makes a huge difference, whether it's for better or for worse.
Leanne:Similarly, after reading Proverbs 6 6, our pastor made this comment that really stood out to me. He said from that passage of scripture that the sluggard or the lazy person loses by small surrenders. In other words, it is the little things that establish a life, not the big transformative moments, but the little things that establish a life. Therefore, you want to be a good steward of the habits that govern your life, and that means taking a look at them every once in a while. Taking a look at them every once in a while In order to be a good steward of your habits. You begin by making what is unconscious conscious. So remember we said that a habit are things that you do without even realizing it. So when you want to examine those habits, reflect on them and see if they are still pushing you in the right direction. We need to take those automatic habits and bring them up to that conscious level so that we can evaluate them better.
Leanne:Recently, I shared with you my ongoing fascination with the brain and totally nerding out here again, but I think it is so interesting that the brain creates habits in order to conserve energy, and it makes sense. You don't have to think about brushing your teeth, it's automatic because you do it all the time and, honestly, if I had to think about every single tiny thing I do, I would be exhausted. So this is how the brain conserves energy and it gives you the space to focus on other things. What you may not realize, however, is that your habits do shape your identity over time. Let me give you an example so that it kind of all makes sense.
Leanne:Your alarm goes off at 6am. You roll over to turn it off, since your alarm is on your phone, you reach for your phone and now that you're holding your phone, you see a social media notification, so you click the app intending to clear that little red dot. You read the message that a friend sent you, and then a video catches your eye, and then another one, and then, before you know it, you've been scrolling for 20 minutes and now you can hear one of your kids waking up, and the worst part is you didn't even notice the minute slipping away. Now you leap out of bed feeling annoyed and frustrated with yourself and you rush through your Bible reading for the day without even really absorbing what you've read. Your kids are all awake at this point and they're clamoring for your attention, so you snap at them to just play quietly for a few minutes so that you can finish your reading. And then you feel guilty for losing your temper and now you feel like a bad mom who can't get it together. Does any of that sound familiar? I know it does to me, but here's the good news If you want to change who you are, you can start by changing what you do.
Leanne:Decide that you want to be a calm and peace-filled woman of excellence and prove it to yourself with small wins with the book of Proverbs, and have experts like James clear are telling us is that, in order to consciously evaluate your habits, you must first decide to be a wise person and then do wise things in order to have the wisdom filled life that you want. So how can you practically bring your habits to conscious awareness in order to evaluate and adjust them accordingly? First, track your habits. Write down patterns you notice happening throughout your day, particularly focusing on moments that seem frustrating or chaotic. You're just recording those habits. Next, identify the cue what triggered that habit? Does it happen at the same time every day? And take note of your emotional state. Then pause and reflect Before acting. Stop and ask yourself why am I doing this? Finally, replace the reward like substitute the habit with a better option. So you're revising the habit that you've been evaluating and making an adjustment that will provide a different outcome. So now let's put all of those steps with our earlier example. Let's see what happens.
Leanne:So your alarm goes off at 6am. You reach for your phone to shut off your alarm and then you pause. You reach for your phone to shut off your alarm and then you pause. The habit of reaching for your phone first is triggered by your alarm. You are doing this because your alarm is on your phone. So you decide to buy an actual alarm clock to put beside your bed instead of using your phone.
Leanne:Okay, so now here's what happens next when we put all of this together. Your alarm goes off at 6am and you shut off your alarm. To get out of bed, you grab your Bible and you read the passage slowly while sipping a hot cup of coffee. You spend the remaining minutes praying over your day and for your children and your spouse, and just as you're wrapping up this quiet time, you hear your kids stirring. You smile and greet them warmly, ready to embrace this day as a calm and peaceful woman of excellence. Embrace this day as a calm and peaceful woman of excellence. What a difference. Right, and all you did was switch out your phone for an alarm clock.
Leanne:This example comes to mind because it is real life. This is exactly what happened to me. The moment I switched out my phone alarm for an actual alarm clock, I noticed a huge difference. This led to reading the scriptures before scrolling. The temptation to clear notifications on my phone went away and this, in turn, led to a calmer morning. And it can lead that for you as well, for you to be the mom that you want to be with your children. This is exactly what it means when we say it is the little things that establish a life. Tiny, little adjustments to your daily habits can make all the difference, and it starts with making your unconscious habits conscious. Now it is important to note that this adjustment of your habits takes time. Choose grace over guilt. Romans 6 14 says, for sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under the law but under grace. Remember that you can make these tiny adjustments and you don't have to feel guilt or shame.
Leanne:I like how James Clear says to work towards being 1% better every time. Here's kind of a silly example to illuminate what 1% better means. When my husband and I first started traveling with our children, we always had this goal that we wanted to learn what we could do to just be 1% better the next time. Whether we were traveling to the grocery store or we were flying across the country, we were always taking note of what was working and what didn't work, so that we could just be 1% better the next time. The same is true for making habit adjustments Take note of what is working and what isn't working and then make a plan to be 1% better or to revise one small thing, and then, little by little, you will see the difference that your efforts make. The Apostle Paul says it this way in Philippians 3, 12-14.
Leanne:Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own because Jesus Christ has made me His own. I do not consider that I have made it my own, but one thing I do forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead. I press on toward the goal, for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Habits become ingrained because the brain is seeking efficiency, which allows you to perform them with minimal effort or attention. So take some time to evaluate your habits and course correct anything that is not leading you in the right direction towards Jesus. Make adjustments towards anything that isn't helping you press on toward the goal.
Leanne:Some of the habits that I have found to be really helpful in keeping me on the wise path are these Word before the world that's my way of saying. Reaching for my Bible first, before my phone. Prioritizing family dinners at least one meal together around our table dinners. At least one meal together around our table. Community connection and this is just enjoying a meaningful conversation with a friend at least once a week, and then Sabbath rest, which in our home is at least two hours of rest every Sunday to reset and refresh your body and mind and soul. This week, I just want to challenge you to be aware of the habits that are directing your days. Reflect on those unconscious habits. Revise any habits that are not life-giving or are not leading you closer to God or are not leading you closer to God.
Leanne:To close this episode on habits, I want to read a few verses from Psalm 27. These verses just kind of reorient our focus to what is most important, what we want to be keeping our eyes on, who we want to be keeping our eyes on. Psalm 27 says this One thing I have asked of the Lord that I will seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. Hear, o Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me. You have said seek my face.
Leanne:My heart says to you your face, lord, do I seek. Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, o you who have been my help, cast me not off. Forsake me not, o God of my salvation. Teach me your ways, o Lord, and lead me on a level path. I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage. Wait for the Lord. This week, choose just one habit to notice and reflect on. Decide that you are a woman of excellence. It's the little things that establish a life. Build a wise one, one habit at a time.