Do you incorporate good habits in to your daily routine?
Is there anything that you are not doing now but would like to start doing?
If so, what has prevented or held you back from taking action?
Look at the rituals and habits you incorporate in to your daily routine and determine if these are beneficial to you or if you need to implement some higher quality habits. It is also important to recognize that if there are changes needed, what has stopped you from making those changes.
This quote by Jim Ryun is a good one because I am sure you can think of one time, or even many, where you experienced a surge of motivation to get started on something. However, what generally happens after that motivation wears off? You either move on to something else or give up entirely.
Think of a space shuttle. It has an external fuel tank, which for the purpose of this discussion, is its motivation. It has one purpose and that is to launch it off the ground and build that forward momentum until the main engines, or in this case, habits, can take over.
However, if the fuel tank runs out of fuel prior to the main engines taking over, the percentage of success is extremely low.
Your motivation can only get you so far and without enough motivational fuel behind it, you are not going to do it long enough for a new habit to develop and stick.
A habit is simply something you do repeatedly. Think about brushing your teeth. It is second nature to you (I hope) and that is because you were doing it since you were a child.
It became simply what you do due to repetition.
What is one thing you wanted to do and, after a short time, you gave up? Starting to exercise is a common one I hear quite often. People start out strong but they do not continue with it long enough and stop.
They have all of the motivation in the world to get started, and they do. However, they focus solely on the end-result, expecting to be there in the blink of an eye. The end-result becomes a big mountain that they are trying to scale in one attempt and their motivation can only get them up a fraction of the way.
There was not enough time given for the habit of making slow, consistent progress to settle in. Too much focus was on quick-fix results as opposed to long lasting change.
Instead, use motivation to propel you out of the gate and get the momentum going. Then keep reminding yourself of why you started in the first place (your motivational fuel) while realizing that it takes time.
Most importantly, enjoy the journey.
Well, you might say, “Anthony, no, I don’t want to wait that long. I want it now.”
I hate to be cliché but Rome was not built in a day. The small steps lead to big achievements and create the habits, not that one big leap.
Use motivation to take that first step and implement consistency and time to make it last. Before you know it, new habits will form and it will become second nature.
Now it’s your turn.
How does this quote inspire you?
Tell me about a time where you started something and gave up because you did not achieve the results fast enough and your motivation ran out. Did you focus solely on the end-result as opposed to making progress in small, manageable steps over time?
Contact me or share your thoughts below in the Comments section.
Let’s get the discussion going.
Remember, you are not alone on this journey. Together we can become stronger individuals.
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