A few months ago I started swimming. Each time, if I’d swim 18 laps (that’s back and forth = one lap) that adds up to one half mile per day. That adds up to a mile and a half each week.
But here’s my dirty little secret.
I have a habit of not getting in the habit. I’m pretty good at behaviors that have promise, but without regular follow-through they fall by the wayside.
All this started before reading Atomic Habits by James Clear. He says, “The actions you take provide evidence for who you are…things that you do time after time, day after day, week after week accumulate the bulk of the evidence for what you believe about yourself. Every action you take is a vote for the person you want to become.” —James Clear (author, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones)
Watch him describe how to get 1% better every day:
That puts any routine, habit or New Year’s resolution in a very different light.
Clear also says the more evidence we have for a belief about ourselves, the more likely we are to believe it. It’s not about process; building a habit is all about identity.
So give it a try. And/or get his book. (I get no money to recommend his book) I’ll be rootin’ for ya!
How to Set Yourself Apart from Others:
Send handwritten personal notes and letters. According to a 2018 survey in which 2,000 American adults participated, “81 percent of people consider a handwritten note more meaningful than high-tech alternatives…and 87 percent of millennials say they value handwritten correspondence above other means. According to the same survey by Bond, a handwritten note service, three-fourths of Americans haven’t written any sort of note to someone by hand in at least a month, and 15 percent haven’t written one for five years or longer.”
Insightful Quotes:
Don’t spend time beating on a wall, hoping to transform it into a door. —Coco Chanel
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be. —Douglas Adams
It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinions than our own. —Marcus Aurelius
Movies/Shows I Recommend:
The Finest Hours: The Coast Guard makes a daring rescue attempt off the coast of Cape Cod after a pair of oil tankers are destroyed during a blizzard in 1952. True life story. This one’s a real nail-biter!
Flash of Genius: True life story of the man invented the intermittent windshield wiper and who took on the Detroit automakers who stole his idea. A little slow-moving but worth it in the end.
The Accountant (2001 Short Film directed by Ray McKinnon, NOT the one with Ben Affleck) A funny, quirky story of two brothers trying to save the family farm. The dialogue moves quickly. An Oscar winner in 2001. Well worth your time!