What’s holding you back from personal development and achieving more? It’s simple. Your routine. The sequence of events you regularly practice – slavishly, without even thinking, day after day after day – are keeping you back from potential growth. From your morning daily ritual of brushing your teeth, to the order in which you get dressed and all the way through to your morning commute and everything beyond – there’s simply too much repetition in your life. You do it all without thinking – the same way over and over again; and without your brain being challenged by anything at all. The result? Stagnation.

Try something simple to kick-start a personal change process.

Switch your watch to your other wrist. Brush your teeth with the other hand. It’ll feel awkward at first, and may take up to twelve days to become a new habit, but it’s well worth all the uncomfortable initial feelings. Various studies have shown that your brain needs to have its neural network fired up in order to form new thoughts and patterns –called neuroplasticity – and we all need to force change into our lives so we can do ultimately do different, better and more rewarding things.

Routine is staggeringly dull and boring and places you in a false comfort zone. It’s time to smash these habits of old that are holding you back in order to create fresh, new, different and exciting patterns of thought which in turn stimulate new behaviors. From the moment you start to change the unconscious habits of a lifetime – you can begin a new journey of difference, and get out of the rut you’ve repeatedly carved for yourself.

We all need an energy boost, to up our productivity and creativity and discover greater happiness. The key is to bust your routines wide open. Even small acts can generate massive benefits. Dare you take the toothbrush challenge and move forward from there?