Habits- Day 14

“Behind every system of actions is a system of beliefs.”

James Clear

We may be adept at setting goals, but may wonder why we don’t achieve or maintain them. However, we can’t forget about the beliefs that actually drive our actions toward that goal. 

Sadly, our old identity can “sabotage our new plans for change.”

If you never change the underlying beliefs that fueled your old behavior, new behavior becomes more challenging. 

Clear tells us, “The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity.”

When you start stating who you are rather than what you want you will open the door to future success. Incongruent actions rarely last if they contrast your beliefs about your self. 

You can white knuckle your way through a behavior change, but until you view your identity through a different lense eventually you will return back to your old habits. 

“Improvements are only temporary until they become who you are.”

James Clear

Habits- Day 13

 

According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, there are three layers of behavioral change. 

Outcomes are about what you get. 

Processes are about what you do. 

Identity is about what you believe. 

Changing your outcomes is focused on results. This is the level where goals come into play. 

Changing your process revolves around changing your habits and systems.

Changing your identity, on the other hand, “is concerned with changing your beliefs, your worldview, your self-image, your judgements about yourself and others.”

What I find to be true about my perceived identity is that my actions don’t always coincide with what I profess to believe. 

Each time I grab an unhealthy snack I’m chipping away at what I thought I professed to be- a person who made healthy choices. 

Rather than focusing on what we want to achieve, Clear ascribes that we should focus on who we wish to become. 

In doing so we are building “identity- based habits” vs “outcome-based habits.”

Habits- Day 12

Have you ever wondered why it’s so easy to keep bad habits, but so difficult to maintain good habits?

Sadly, as much as you may want to improve your life there is a good chance that by next year you are in the same place as today. 

Even though, there are few things that can have the powerful influence over your life as much as good daily habits can. Why are they so difficult to bring to fruition?

James Clear in his book Atomic Habits sites two reasons why changing our habits is so challenging. 

“We try to change the wrong thing

We try to change our habits in the wrong way”

Clear teaches that there are three layers of behavior change; outcomes, processes, and identity. 

We’ll delve deeper into this tomorrow, but I am hopeful that done properly there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Habits- Day 11

“An atomic habit refers to a tiny change, a marginal gain, equaling a 1% improvement.”

James Clear

Clear refers to habits as the “atoms of our lives.”

Each habit is like a building block that adds to your overall improvement. Sometimes these tiny actions do not seem to appear to make much of a difference. However, Clear refers to them as both, “small and mighty.”

These atomic habits comprise a “system of compound growth.” They become a part of a larger system. 

These habits are small and easy to do, but are incredibly powerful over time. 

Habits- Day 10

 

“Ultimately it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.”

James Clear

The stumbling block of a goal oriented mindset is that you end up with a “yo-yo effect.”

When you finally reach the finish line over time your motivation begins to creep away. 

A system, on the other hand, is not about one single goal reached. Rather, “ it’s about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement.”

To quote Clear, “You can be satisfied anytime your system is running.”

Habits- Day 9

                                        

                                       Goal- the end toward which effort is directed  

System-an organized framework or method

“Goals are about the results you want to achieve. Systems are about processes that lead to those results.”

James Clear

Clear recommends focusing on your systems instead of your goals. He states that goals help you set a direction but your systems actually contribute to your progress. 

The problem with a goal is that once you achieve it you are required to maintain it. This has always been the challenge for me. I’m quite disciplined in achieving my initial goal, but over time my motivation and desire to maintain that goal lessens. 

I find myself right back where I began, and feeling dejected at my inability to maintain my goal. 

“Achieving a goal only changes your life for the moment. In order to improve for good, you need to solve problems at the systems level.”

Habits- Day 8

“A one degree shift can cause water to boil or ice to melt.”

James Clear

Clear states that often people give up too soon before they actually see any real results. 

Persistence is the key in habit formation. Giving yourself enough time to see a difference is critical. 

“Time magnifies the margin between success and failure. It will multiply whatever you feed it.”

James Clear 

There used to be a school of thought that twenty-one days was the magic number when it came to creating a new habit. If you could white knuckle through the twenty-one days then you would have it mastered. 

Further research has shown that this is not necessarily true. 

Yesterday we talked about compounding. Just like interest in a bank account this does not happen overnight, and the results you seek may be delayed. 

This is why it’s so hard for habits to form. We lose sight of the long-term, and want immediate gratification.

Clear points out that starting with tiny atomic size changes practiced over a long  period of time results in more habits developed and maintained. 

“What we do every day matters more than what we do once in a while.”

Gretchen Rubin