If you find yourself feeling stuck time and time again, unable to break the cycle of bad habits that get in your way–it's probably because you haven't done it right. You haven't tailored your efforts to your needs, nor have you stopped to examine what it is that you really need. And luckily for you — that's exactly what I'm going to teach you.

So where do we begin? Well, first of all, congratulate yourself for recognizing your desire to change. That's the most important step. Next, recognize that you are designed to want to improve, and therefore the habits you decide to incorporate into your life should be habits that reflect the type of person you want to be. However, they should also represent the person that you are today. Your sociodemographics and your personality type play a huge role in determining what defines your wellness, so stop trying to squeeze yourself into something you don't truly believe in.

"You can see why being vegan becomes part of people's identity, too. If it was just about choosing not to eat any animal products, the diet would be extremely difficult to adhere to. But because it is a lifestyle and an ideology, vegans are willing to push through all that. They don't see it as a choice, but rather as the right thing to do." — Ryan Holiday

A lot of people think that because I am so passionate about wellness, I have everything put together. The reality is, I only engage in a select few wellness habits — including journaling, working out, and breathing exercises — depending on what my schedule looks like, what season it is, and so on. I don't force things that aren't in their place.

For example, I don't meditate anymore. When I attempted to do so or when I skipped a day, I ended up creating more anxiety than if I didn't in the first place. And I'm not worse off for it, because I shifted that habit into a different one: I engage in a daily meditative activity instead. Furthermore, I don't force myself to do it if it doesn't feel right–doing so would eventually cause me to give it up entirely out of hatred.

At the end of the day, all that matters is that the results average out. Not every habit needs to be an everyday thing and you don't need a routine that is set in stone. In fact, you'll benefit much more from a routine that is flexible.