The purpose of this series is to help you to gain clarity and forward momentum towards a goal in your life, rather than staying stuck in the world of imagined ideas and good intentions. Here's where we stand.
- Step 1: Start with your Why
- Step 2: Gain Clarity
- Step 3: Create a pathway
- Step 4: Build a Habit
- Step 5: Face the Brutal Facts
- Step 6: Bring in others for accountability and celebration
Step 4: Build a Habit
Driverless cars are going to be amazing. Imagine summoning a car from your phone. A pilotless vehicle arrives, you step in and the journey begins. Along the way you are able to have focused conversation with friends or intently work on a project. As you exit, the car automatically closes the door and silently drives away. You've safely arrived at your destination, but didn't need to think about how you got there. Sign me up!
Habits function in much the same way. You know where you need to go. You've identified the pathway. Now, you need to summon a driverless car to take you there. That's what habits do. They dramatically reduce the cognitive and emotional load of making decisions and creating action. There's tons of science and behavioral studies to back this up.
Truthfully, we build habits all the time. The question is whether our habits are helping or hurting us. Here are three simple, but transformative steps you can take to intentionally create a purposeful habit. Pen! Paper! Let's give it a go!
1) Identify a cue: What will trigger this habit? Imagine kicking a small pebble holding a huge bolder bolder in place. Kicking the pebble is the cue. Once the cue occurs, the process begins to move with its own inertia.
2) Create the response: Write down one thing that, if done on a regular basis, would move you closer to your goal. Think in terms of small, incremental steps. You will be astonished at what can be accomplished by "putting something on the table everyday." To quote Bill Gates, “Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”
3) The Reward: How will you reward yourself for accomplishing the response? It doesn't have to be a huge deal, but it should be something you really enjoy!
After you've written out your responses to these three prompts, commit to trying to build the habit for two weeks. I'm willing to bet you'll be glad you did!
Okay, I've got to go. My car just arrived.