Do you ever wonder why you keep doing the same things, even when they aren’t working? It all boils down to habits, small habits. Our actions are guided by habit loops, and every time we do something enough times, a new neural pathway is formed in our brains. This means that triggers can cause new behaviors and even alter people’s thinking and behavior. The power of small compounded habits is that it takes time for them to influence your actions and thoughts so you don’t notice them until later on. It doesn’t matter if these are good or bad habits, as long as there’s consistency in what you do each day then eventually those little things will start driving everything else. Small habits can help determine what kind of person you become.
According to Charles Duhigg, in his book “The Power of Habit,” the reason habits are so hard to break is that they start as small compounding habits. These daily actions compound themselves over time and eventually become a routine. We frequently believe or encourage ourselves that massive success necessarily requires tremendous action. We frequently believe or convince ourselves that massive success necessitates massive action. We mostly brush aside subtle changes because they seem not to matter much in the moment, which makes it so easy to slip into a bad habit. This is why it can be so difficult for people who have bad habits or find themselves stuck in negative cycles. It’s also why breaking these cycles requires an understanding of how they work and what can fuel them. It takes a lot of work and commitment to form positive habits, but it’s just as important not to neglect the negative ones. You might not think that these tiny changes will make much of a difference, but they really do! One great example of this is the 10,000 steps taken each day. While it may seem like taking 10,000 steps is insignificant when compared to running a marathon, it’s actually equivalent to walking 2 miles which burns about 350 calories – and all without feeling exhausted or overexerted. The very same situation applies when we repeat 1% inconsistencies day after day. By recreating bad decisions, redoing minor errors, and justifying minor excuses, our small choices aggravate toxic outcomes. Negativity can take over your potential gains from good habitation which could lead you in an undesirable direction. For this to be done, you have to start with a plan and then follow through with consistent action every day. If you want something, you have to work for it by taking many small steps each day that add up over time into big results. It’s not just one big feat of strength that gets us where we want to be; rather it is little daily disciplines that compound into massive success over time!
It’s all too easy to get caught up in the larger picture. However, if you don’t make progress on your small actions every day, it won’t matter how far you get when you reach your ultimate goal. The only way to succeed is to develop habits and maintain consistency over time. What begins as a small victory or a minor setback expands into much more. As a result, success is the result of daily habits, not a once-in-a-lifetime transformation.
