The Power of Little Habits
Many people want to have everything yesterday.
They are always looking for quick fix or unsustainable fad to see the body of their dreams overnight.
But the actual “secret” to true ongoing results comes from the actions and behaviours we that we do on a daily basis - our habits.
A habit is a pattern or behaviour that we repeatedly do, usually triggered by a cue. Put simply, habits are a survival mechanism for your brain to not consciously have to process and manage everything it does on a daily basis, particularly things that happen frequently.
Where you are now is the sum of your habits that you have invested in day by day, week by week, year by year.
Luckily, we can begin to change our trajectory as soon as we start changing our habits. And we can change even deep seated habits through awareness and consistency.
And it’s not the big grand acts that count the most, it’s actually the little daily habits that have enormous power.
So how do you build habits that will build you?
Start by becoming conscious about where you want to be. Breakdown the habits create that result.
Become aware and honest of what you have been currently doing. What habits are helping you, which habits have been stalling you and which have you been completely unconscious about
Bring the habits you can identify to light, forgive yourself if you have attached guilt to habits that haven’t served you.
Now choose habits you want to develop. Start with only one at a time in an area of your life
To build a new habit - choose when and where you will do it, set a reminder or use a cue to remember conciously to do your habit. An alarm on your phone, or tacking it on after a habit you already do.
To break a habit that doesn’t serve you, choose to swap that habit out for one that will be better for your progress. It can be a transition habit if cutting it is too much. Or you can go cold turkey but that can sometimes end in a huge rebound.
Start by working on one habit in an area of your life (training, nutrition, mindset, health, finances, relationships) that you can commit to. Choose something that is challenging for you but you also know is possible.
Track your habits. Either in a manual tracker on your desk where you check it off, or download an app such as HabitShare. If you don’t track you have no accurate data to reflect on.
Reflect every week on your progress at the end of the day and then the end of the week. Did you check off your habits?
If a habit is too challenging, make it smaller until you can master that
If a habit is established and feels easy, either progress the habit or begin working on a new one.
If you keep falling back into unconscious patterns, pay more attention and reflect on how you can nip this pattern in the bud
Also be aware if you are banging your head against a wall, don’t continue doing too many habits that have no real purpose, make sure they are building you up.
The longer you stay conscious and connected to your habits, the more they will compound and add to how you identify yourself. Then they will become easier because they are something that you do because that is who you are, and they will feel much more natural.
A river cuts through rock not by power, but by persistence. Through consistency in the right areas, you will find success.