Tackling the Elusive New Habit

We all have some area of our life that we would like to improve upon – so how do you do it? Especially if it is something that has eluded you for years…..exercising, eating healthy, reading, taking classes at the local community college, etc. If you think that to get healthy you need to start exercising 3 days per week, don’t! I’m serious, this is the advice I am giving you right now. You can stop reading now if you would like, but I promise I am going somewhere with this.

As people, especially introducing a new habit into our routine, we are overly ambitious. We know that to lose 30 lbs we can’t work out for 5 minutes, one time each week and expect the desired result. I would argue that that is exactly what we need to do. Creating a habit is much more effective for long-term results than designing a perfect workout plan that you are never going to stick to. Think about the gym on New Year’s Day. It is full of people that are finally making the decision to get healthy, which is great. The reason so many people fail is because they start too big; they try to transform their whole routine around and then a few short months later, they fall back into their old habits. People are much more likely to stick with something simple and small. Set yourself up for success not failure, and remember that you can always add a day when you are ready; building the habit is the most important step towards becoming successful at something new.

Remember that little successes repeated over and over again, are extremely motivating for your psyche. Every day that you accomplish your tiny little goal, you build momentum. You start thinking, “boy if I can work out once a week for 5 minutes, I could definitely do twice a week for 15 minutes”. That’s exactly the kind of thinking that will catapult you to the next level with whatever you are trying to accomplish. I utilize this principle in all areas of my life. When there is an incredibly difficult and challenging economics book that I am reading, I commit to something extremely small, repeated over and over. I commit to reading 2 pages per day and you know what? I usually end up reading 10. It’s the act of acting that builds momentum. A body at rest will stay at rest, but a body in motion, will continue to seek motion (both literally and figuratively).

Make a commitment today to pick 1 thing that you would truly like to get better at and create a manageable daily activity that will help you begin building momentum. Once you do this in one area of your life it will spill over into other areas. Stay focused on what you can control and don’t worry about the results. Find a way to get a little bit better today than you were yesterday and repeat. Believe me, I am rooting for you. Go out and kick some ass today!