Build New Habits That Last Longer Than 3 Days

It's nearly Monday again, which means its nearly time for that promise of self improvement you promise to stick to and forget about by Wednesday. Again.

If you haven't heard of James Clear's book 'Atomic Habits', just give me about 10 minutes and I promise you'll be walking away with new found drive and commitment that will stick.

This book is simply the only book you will ever need to help you start forming habits that last. Clear breaks down what habits are and how we can all reach our goals sooner rather than later simply by committing to being 1% better every single day.

When we tend to think of self improvement, it often comes from a place of frustration, both with ourselves and our current circumstances. We reach a point where we are absolutely fed up of where we are and vow to be someone new by tomorrow morning. Please read that again and think about how much of an impossible task that seems. How do you expect to undo years of habits and conditioning in one night? It is not possible! No wonder we all go back to our ways in no time.

Annoyingly enough, we seem to be wired in a way where our brain is simply trying to help us survive by making things as simple as possible for us. However, this seems to stop working in our favour once we take on new personas. You put far too much pressure on yourself and as a safety mechanism, your brain will return to old habits as it senses you are now stressed out from having to keep up with this whole new identity you've given yourself. Clear understands this and proposes a revolutionary new way to help you become the person you want to be that actually works hand in hand with your psychology - not against it.

To begin self improvement, Clear proposes that we will get much further with our goals if we make them much simpler and far more attainable. Using the British cycling team as an example, the team had been losing miserably in every competition they had entered. They became so appallingly bad that companies not only refused to sponsor them, but also asked them not to wear their brand as they do not want to be identified with the losing team. Ouch.

To help the team, a new trainer was hired that implemented something called 'the aggregation of marginal gains'. This meant dissecting and improving every little thing that can affect the teams performance, from the type of pillows they sleep on each night to the tyre pressure, heated shorts and many more little things that seemed irrelevant at the time. To everyone's surprise, after 5 years of making small improvements and an overall commitment to just being 1% better each time, the team went on to win over 60% of medals in the Olympics in 2008. From not winning a single medal to dominating over 50% of the competition, it is clear that this method works.

To put it another way, each day we have choices. Every time we do anything, we have a choice. Eat a salad or have a burger. Get a good nights sleep or stay on Instagram. In the moment, all these little decisions seem somewhat meaningless and don't really matter. But, Clear challenges his audience to truly identify with two sides of themselves; the person they truly are and the person they want to be. Each time you act, you make a decision to strengthen that side of yourself by 1%. It is entirely up to you which side of yourself you choose to satiate, but the more you begin to improve the side of yourself that you wish to be, the more your actions will soon come in alignment with that persona. Before you know it, you will be the type of person that wakes up early or goes to the gym religiously.

By thinking of self improvement and habits in this way, suddenly our goals don't seem so impossible. They are not only doable but also actionable. Why don't you give this new way of thinking a go today and try to make a different decision each day. Start slow. Work with yourself and you will find that one day you are truly who you want to be.

If you'd like to buy the book, we've partnered up with Amazon to bring the book one step closer to you. Simply follow the link on the right and speed through the check out process. If you're serious about making new habits and being better, we truly believe this book will help you get there much faster.

Have you read 'Atomic Habits'? Share your thoughts below and let us know how it helped you (or if it didn't!). Enjoyed this post? Share it with your friends and help them become 1% better.

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