Success is a Habit

I do NOT have a green thumb. When there is a plant at our home, the only way t has a chance of surviving is if it takes zero watering or attention from me, and probably has no soil.

My mother has purchased multiple plants for us in the past, only to have to help me discard the remains a mere few months later.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could have lush and flowing plants inside our houses and on our porches without having to remember to water them, fluff or change the soil, give them a sprinkle of plant food every once in a while, and trim off the ‘dead-heads’?

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could water them once at the beginning of the season and they would continue to grow and flourish and produce vibrant flowers and fragrance?

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could plant vegetables, leave them alone for a few weeks, and reap a large bountiful harvest? Yes, that would be awesome!

But growth doesn’t work that way. You can’t blast and soak (found that out the hard way, apparently too much water at one time is not good either) then forget it.

Any type of growth takes attention, consistently, and habits make up a big portion of that.

But here is something to marinate on…creating new habits requires change. Change of behavior, change of mind, change of process. And we biologically resist change.

George Leonard of the Association for Humanistic Psychology theorized that our resistance to biological change creeps into our resistance to behavioral changes as well. Our minds and bodies inherently perceive change as danger, so we resist. Even if logically we 100% know that the change is positive…we still have our natural guards up.

With New Years resolutions around the corner, many of us may be thinking about what changes we want to make, what habits we want to form in 2023. I am not a fan of New Years resolutions – historically it has been shown that most resolutions are abandoned by March and less than 10% ever have success. Almost gives us an excuse to (1) not make them and try and (2) to be ok with failing or giving up on them.

But we only hurt ourselves when we give up or don’t even try. Growth takes change. Change is ‘scary’, but necessary. Success takes change. Habit formation makes change possible. So what are we to do?

Change.

Build new habits.

But do it slowly.

UGH! But I want instant gratification! I don’t want to move slow – I want it now!

Just like everything else in life, slow change over time is more sustainable and it causes less trauma (perceived or real) in our lives.  This slower pace will minimize your natural guard and rejection defense to rise and undermine your resolve.

It is only the daily efforts, accumulated over time, that lay the foundation for success. There are few (if any at all) ‘overnight’ success stories. And where there are, take a look at the perceived success a few months later to see if it has been sustainable. Rarer still.

It has been said (and somewhat proven) that it takes at least 21 days of consistent and intentional effort to form a new habit. That means that each day you have to consciously make the decision to do ‘the thing’ you are trying to make natural. Once you do…once you no longer have to think about doing it…then your mind and body will fight against changing it, losing it, going back. THAT is success.

Yes, it isn’t sexy, it is the daily (even mundane) daily tasks in business that over time compound into big achievements and strides. It’s not the herculean efforts every once in a while that make a difference. It is not the spurt of energy and productivity that makes a difference.

There are no shortcuts, there is no dose of hyperactivity that will provide what you need to have lasting success. It is working at the critical activities, the needle movers, today, and the day after that…and the day after that…and the day after that…

With that in mind – here we are at Q4 of 2022. You are no doubt thinking about what you want to see in 2023. Why wait? What can you start doing today, slowly, to set yourself up for success in the new year and beyond? What small habits can you start building now, day by day, so that when you make those New Years Resolutions you are one-step ahead, one step closer to being able to achieve those achievements?

Start now – no excuses!

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