Effortless Habits

This writing is going to help you change your habits with minimal effort.

Take a deep breath.

Think about your day to day life right now.

Think about your goals.

And finally think about the path that you want to take in order to reach your goals.

If you dont have a path in mind, consider that figuring out the path is already part of the path that will lead you to your goals.

Take another deep breath.

In your mind you have your goals, the path to your goals, and your life right now - which is made of your lifestyle and daily habits.

Those habits are the material bridge between your current life and your goals.

If you have the perfect habits - everything is progressing as fast and efficiently as it can, without compromising your health, relationships or values - you may not feel like there is much room for improvement, and you probably wouldn't be interested in going this far into this writing.

What is it you'd like to change?

Exercising more, improving your diet?
Giving in less to eating sweets?
Stopping alcohol or smoking?
People-pleasing a bit less?
Being able to focus better?
Taking more time for self care?

The steps you take that build your habits are the ones that build your life and outcomes.

The Habit Bridge is a metaphorical one.

Yes, it is a material construction but it is also a mental one.

It is ever-changing and never-ending, just like the cycles of nature.

Spring turns to summer, and then leaves fall as nature winds down to winter. And after winter emerges spring again.

As you walk along the bridge, you keep on building it.

You set a first goal, and start building and walking along.

Brick by brick, step by step.

You reach that first goal, then set the next.

Reach that goal, then set the next one.

By the time you've reached the last goal, you realise you're a different person than the one who set the first goal.

If you dont believe this, think back to somewhere 5 years, 10 years, or 20 years ago, and reflect on how your goals and yourself have both changed.

Now, the question is how do you build and walk on the Habit Bridge with minimal effort?

Counterintuitively, think about what "extreme effort" would look like.

Forcing yourself?
Pushing harder?
Using discipline and willpower?
Going as hard or as fast as possible, and burning out?

You don't need to imagine what it feels like.

Too much.
Not good.

But what's not enough?

Is the definition of "not enough" not doing anything at all?

Or is that feedback that you should probably do something about it?

Tell me human - as a child, did you learn everything the first time it was taught to you?

Or did you sometimes need repetition?

Repetition, I bet.

So, think of "not enough" and the whole idea of "not doing" a habit as a habit in itself which is giving you the feedback you need in order to make a change.

It's the repetition of the lesson.

The insatisfaction of not being where you want to be.

The driver of change.

It's subtle - just like the seasons changing.

The sun rises and sets with only a few minutes of difference each day.

The leaves in the trees don't all fall at the same time.

The temperature doesn't change suddenly from one day to the next.

You are nature.

And nature operates with effortlessness.

Sometimes, maybe, you will need to learn something new in order to start to make a new habit.

Sometimes, though, all you need is a baby step.

Make the "unwanted" habit a tiny bit harder to do.

Make the wanted new habit a tiny bit easier to do.

You don't owe anyone the impression that you need to be running along the Habit Bridge.

You owe it to yourself... and it's okay to crawl.

Effortlessness is baby steps.

Like learning how to walk. Like the change of the seasons.

Like the sun rise, and the sun set.

Every day, ever so subtle, you can make the habit change ever so gradual.

Looking back at yesterday, you may not see any difference.
Looking back at last week, you may not see any difference.
Looking back at last season, sometimes, you may not see the difference.

But as the years go by...

...you won't even recognise where you are...
...you won't even remember where you were before...

And the best yet:

You don't even remember any difficulty doing it.

 

Every single day, every second that passes by, is a slow transition to a new season in your life, building the effortless Habit Bridge.

Keep believing - keep going - and you will get there without even realising. 

Baby step by baby step.

The power of effortlessness.