Once you’ve identified & committed to a couple of key changes, the most important thing you can ask yourself is: how will you turn these two changes into habit?
In James Clear’s Atomic Habits, he draws on a wide range of sources to debunk myths about habit formation, emphasizing that it’s knowing that you follow through on your habits almost every day, which allows you to consistently reinforce your new identity belief.
But, the caveat: you and I, we WILL slip up. We will have days here or there, even a few days in a row, when we don’t follow through on our new habit & identity.
When this happens, it’s OK, and it’s an opportunity for self-compassion. It’s okay if you slip on occasion because tomorrow you will get it back. Tomorrow, and nearly every day, you’ll stick to it. You’ve done it before, you’ll do it again, and THIS IS YOU.
When you pick the right habit for you and practice it more days than not, the feedback loop of new habit–> new identity will continually reinforce each other.
A major premise of Atomic Habits is that even the smallest changes become huge over time when they become a part of your routine.
Removing the social media app on my phone initiated a shift I could maintain long-term. After a few weeks, intentional social media use became my new norm. The side-effect was more time on the things I cared most about and less time on distracted scrolling. In essence, it fueled my purpose, presence and flow.
Over time, this single change has had an enormous ripple effect on my well-being.
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Itís hard to come by well-informed people in this particular topic, but you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks