Don't think big if you want to change your life. Think small.
I've tested this advice and it works. And it begins with a hard look at your daily habits.
We all have routines we follow without thinking. Brushing teeth. Getting dressed. That's a habit — something we do automatically because we have taught ourselves it gives us what we want or need.
Little habits are a big deal. They decide your future. They define who you are. They control what you do or don't do — every day.
"If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system," says James Clear, author of "Atomic Habits, An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones."
He offers a better system. First decide the type of person you want to be. Now, what actions must you take to become that person? Those actions are habits you want to develop.
Clear offers lots of logical advice. Such as what triggers our habits and how to rewire those triggers. For example, make a new task easy and more enticing by using his "two-minute rule." Start your new habit with a two-minute task. So running three miles a day begins with simply putting on the running shoes.
Promise yourself when and where and what you will do, but grow gradually. Showing up is the key — every day — to plant the seed for a habit to take root. The harvest comes later.
I’m Lonny Cain … and that’s my Perspective.
