How to Change Your Life, One Day at a Time
Know how to become a good singer? Sing every day. A good writer? Write every day. Good at anything? Do it every day.
Many of us want to improve our habits. We hear a podcast, watch a TED talk, or meet someone who's doing something great, and we're inspired toward our own greatness. We set a goal (usually a pretty big one) and get started, only to falter within a day, a few days, or a couple of weeks.
The problem isn't finding inspiration or getting started. And the goal may be worthwhile and pertinent to what we really care about. But life intervenes. We get busy, we get sick, we get interrupted, we get bored. Somehow, our good intentions are overwhelmed, and we return to our own version of the status quo.
So how do we break through and actually maintain a good habit long enough to achieve mastery and make it our default behavior?
The secret isn't starting. It's continuing – daily, step by step.
The most valuable advice you'll ever hear about habit change
Tiny habits, repeated over and over, become big changes. The habit needs to be so tiny that you can do it no matter what – when you're busy, sick, interrupted, or bored.
One tiny habit that I've maintained for almost seven years now is writing. My goal is one sentence each day. I've written one sentence while I was in the waiting room when my son was rushed to emergency after he (briefly) stopped breathing during an outpatient surgical procedure. If I can write one sentence then, I can do it every day no matter what. I often write 1,000 or more words, but just one sentence is my habit, and so I've enjoyed success every day for the past 2,514 days. One sentence has turned into hundreds of blog posts and more than a dozen books. After all of this time, writing is just what I do.
Is there a habit you want to implement in your life? Of course, you already brush your teeth, wash your hands, and turn off the light. Those are good habits to have, but the type of habit I'm talking about is one that will help you reach your life potential. Author and speaker Joshua Spodek calls this a "sidcha," which stands for Self-Imposed Daily Challenging Healthy Activity. This is a broad category of behaviors that change your life for the better, such as:
- a specific daily goal for exercise
- a specific daily goal for reading
- a daily goal for eating vegetables
- a daily goal for phone use
- a goal for practicing music
- a goal for gratitude
... and more. Your daily goal doesn't have to be impressive. In fact, your goal isn't to be impressive on any given day. What's more important is that you be consistent. Constancy is the road to success. Constancy can help you reach your impressive objectives.
Because of tiny habits, I've eaten a minimum of three servings of vegetables every day since 2019. (Today, I'm slightly less near-sighted than I've been since I was in my early 20s.) My husband has done a regimen of stretches and bodyweight exercises every morning for almost five years.
Reaching your potential
Eventually, you learn that even when life is messy, you can do your daily habit. In fact, life is a little less messy because your "sidcha" grounds you. It keeps you thriving.
Did you know Nelson Mandela boxed as a young man? Throughout his 27 years in prison, he maintained his daily training regimen. (Now, that's impressive.) In fact, in his autobiography, he writes that he did so on the day he was released. In his retelling of this important historical event, Mandela doesn't mention the names of the leaders he met or what he said to the media on that day. He does mention waking up at 4:30 a.m. to do his routine.
Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years, most of them spent breaking rocks or staying all alone in a cell barely bigger than his bed. He went on to become his nation's first Black president, replacing apartheid. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He became a global icon of peace, freedom, and racial equality.
What do you think you might accomplish if you don't stop?
This is not my old holiday book. It's a new volume full of practical strategies to help you focus on what you value about this season, letting you design a minimalist holiday that celebrates what's most important. Going for the "the best holiday ever" can leave you feeling burned-out by Christmas Day. In fact, it can leave you tired, stressed, dissatisfied, in debt, and fatter. So why not ease off for the sake of more joy? When you trim down a bit and emphasize what you love, you're sure to find the happiness and inspiration you're longing for.
Pre-order the e-book at a reduced price, or wait for the release of the paperback and hardcover versions on October 14th. Thank you for supporting my work!
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