Success
is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few
errors in judgment, repeated every day. —Jim Rohn
People
are rewarded in public for what they practice for years in private. – Tony
Robbins
When an individual prepares to run a
marathon, they do not run 26.2 miles on the first day. They start running short distances and then
build up to running longer distances. Much
the same way with creating new habits, it is important to start out with small
changes and then long-term change will occur after consistently doing the same
habit over and over again.
Many times, people get frustrated with new
habits because they become redundant. When
frustration hits, it is important to remember the impact small changes
have. For example, what would happen if
a plane traveling from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York had a slight change in
heading by just 3.5 degrees while sitting on the runway? Instead of landing in New York, the plane would
land in Washington, D.C. The change in
heading does not seem that big at LAX; however, that small change has a drastic
impact when flying across the country (Clear, 17).
When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter
hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack
showing in it. Yet at the hundred and
first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that last blow that did
it – but all that had gone before. – Jacob Riis
And it is important to remember that drastic
change is rarely successful. According
to James Clear, nearly everything we do each day has an equilibrium, which is a
balance point between opposing forces (Merriam-Webster.com). When an individual implements drastic changes
in their lives, individuals often times find themselves being drawn back to the
equilibrium. When someone incorporates
small changes into their life, an individual’s equilibrium begins to change
establishing a new equilibrium.
The
smartest path is to improvement is the one of least resistance. Fight battles
you are destined to win. – James Clear (How to Use Military Strategy to Build
Better Habits)
CHALLENGE: What 1% changes are you going to incorporate
into your life this week?
Resources
·
Clear, J. (2018) Tiny Changes,
Remarkable Results - Atomic Habits – An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good
Habits & Break Bad Ones. New York, NY:
Penguin Random House.
