Small steps to achieve big things.
Breaking a bad habit can feel like an impossible task. The good news is there is a way to replace bad habits with actions that will put you on the path to your version of success.
One of the books that I read last year, was called “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. This book sets out the most effective ways to change your habits in simple, easy to understand lessons. It also gives interesting, real life examples.
I could write pages about my various learnings from reading this book but two things that really resonated were:
- The thinking that you need to build your habits on who you wish to become rather than what you want to do. An example that the author cites is of someone who’s goal is to run a marathon. The marathon is the outcome, the goal is to become a runner. That’s who you identify with and therefore it’s easier to get on with the plan to run a marathon. Change your identity or beliefs to support the systems you put in place to achieve your goal.
- The theory of 1% improvement. When you’re trying to achieve something, small changes that you make to your life can seem really ineffective in the first stages however, when you think about it, if you improve 1% every day for a year that will compound to quite a change in a years time.
Want to know more? Click here for the book summary outlining the key ideas and topics or you can watch a short YouTube clip that sums up the above in less than 7 minutes.