When I thinking back on the most successful things I managed to carry out, all have one thing in common. They have started small.
Take baby steps.
It sounds easy and obvious. I’ve always had big goals and often fight with my own ambitions in everything I do and I don’t think I’m alone. Right?
It is not easy to divide a large goal into smaller chunks when the will is strong. But necessary when you want to create a new habit, for example. Or to be even more specific, an example where we all have been at some point, to create an exercise habit.
Who hasn’t had the thought “I need to stop being lazy and start working out”?
The most common mistake then is that you start too big. The challenge will be too big and your body can’t handle it, and faster than you want, you’re back into the old lazy habit again.
The reason that I mentioned exercise as a habit is because it’s a habit I have a managed to create.
I have exercised regularly for 4 years now. When I started work out, I had never run more than 10 kilometers, today I run almost never below 10 km when I running.
The last few months, I have thought pretty much about my living and my personal development and written down which habits I succeeded with and which ones failed. I found some common things in the successful habits and divided them into several steps. This resulted in a list that I now thought to share with you and was thinking of using next time I’ll create my new habit.
The secret list to create a new habit
It’s very simple and all you do is to define some questions and reward yourself. =)
1) Note down your goal
Example: Why do you want to start exercise? Choose a high goal that is divisible by 10.
2) Address your challenges
Irrational thought: “I’m a crappy runner”
Solution: I just haven’t been running enough yet.
3) Choose a time when you will do the habit and start small
Divide your goal with 10 and start there.
For instance…
Big goal: “I want to be able to run 10 km.”
Start small: “I will walk 1 km every Tuesday.”
4) Reward yourself
Example: My reward is to force myself to smile, raise my hand to the sky and scream “Yes!”
5) Improve and expand
Once you have the habit, then start walk for 1,5 km Tuedays and Thursdays.