Develop Habits for WHO You Want to Be [Passage?? from The Zebra Code]

Habits make my personal life and career life super “easy.”

Well, at least, A LOT easier, more fun, and downright inertia-resistant.

I’ve shared my habit building techniques in depth in my Leadership Coaching Program and my most recent book The Zebra Code. I’ve also shared tips on my YouTube channel and my podcast.

Today, I thought I’d offer a habit-building lesson via the opening passage of Chapter 6 of The Zebra Code.

If you like these concepts, perhaps consider grabbing a copy of the book and/or joining me LIVE Friday for a full-blown lesson in leadership class!

The Zebra Code, Chapter 6, Forming Habits

--- Success is not a single event, but a great habit developed through the perfect combination of commitment and time. ---

We need habits to operate our lives. Some people seem to effortlessly create good ones, while others struggle. Don’t worry if you’re in the latter group. Anyone can build solid, positive habits with the proper formula and effort.

You might be wondering why you need habits in the first place. There are a lot of ways to consider this question, but it’s really pretty simple—we are our habits in every sense. Consider yourself for a moment. You are a byproduct of the habits you have and the acts you do every single day. The outcomes of our lives are nothing more than lagging measures of the habits we employ.

Habits benefit us not just in a get-things-done or stay-on-track sort of way. Our brains want that automation that comes with habits. If our brains are not on automatic pilot, we get tired. Do you ever get tired when you’re traveling? It’s not because you’re traveling. It’s because you’re constantly taxing your brain! You’re in a hotel room and don’t know where the light switch is or how to open the curtains. You need to consciously look for these. You’re driving a rental car and you don’t know how to turn on the windshield wipers. You’re eating in a restaurant you’ve never eaten before and it seems to have page after page of entrées on the menu. You feel the need to scan every one of them. Your brain is running constantly. Contrast these scenarios with when you’re at home. You could probably close your eyes and find your way around because you’ve developed habits!

Sometimes we want to challenge our brains. Other times we don’t. The goal is to design your life with a balance that includes the challenges you want for growth and enjoyment as well as the mini-habits (e.g., car keys in the tray so I don’t need to look for them) and major-habits (e.g., diet, exercise regimen) to help you enjoy the process. If this sounds complicated, let’s make it simple by starting in the right place.

--- Start with who, not why. ---

The best place to start with habits is to choose the ones that most fit the lifestyle you want. It’s about who you want to be. Everything we do in our lives feeds our self-image, including our habits. That’s why whatever habit we create or goal we set best serves us when it supports who we want to be.

This is just like the congruency element we addressed when developing our self-awareness. The more in alignment our habits are with who we want to be, the happier and more fulfilled our lives will be. For example, if who you are is a healthy person, the habits you might imagine setting would center on diet, exercise, sleep, and other aspects that support a healthy lifestyle. You might have a routine where you shop at the grocery store on Wednesdays and Saturdays. If you want to be an organized person, your house is likely clean with a place for everything and everything in its place. I’m sure you get the idea.

HOW DOES THE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM WORK?

Here’s the 411 on the membership…

Schedule, Attendance, Replays:?I meet?every month?with members to teach them my latest strategies covering Wellness, Organization, High Performance, Communication, Relationships, Building Teams, and related topics. Active members can attend the live sessions and get the replays.

Workbooks, Mega-Library:?Members get access to the full library of video-based lessons plus workbooks which include recaps, thought-provokers, and challenges?to practice and implement the skills. Glance inside the library here!

Enrollment Options:?There are a few enrollment options including monthly and annual memberships and you can join for literally as little as?$0.81/day.

Bonuses:?All members get access—for FREE—to my?Career Accelerator Program?($397 sold separately). Annual members also get my?Goal Setting Masterclass?(sold separately for $197) and Productivity Challenge?($297) completely FREE.

Why not check out the program, register, join me today and tomorrow, and position yourself to make 2025 your best year yet?

LEADERSHIP PROGRAM IN A BOOK = THE ZEBRA CODE!

If you want an uber-formatted, super-consolidated, very-budget-friendly way to navigate the maze of professional growth, you’re in luck.

Not only do I have that full-blown leadership program I mentioned with live coaching and videos and workbooks, but I’ve also created a book version.

You can now use The Zebra Code: A Step-By-Step Guide to Mastering Career Skills That Make You a Standout Professional to chart your career path effectively.

Inside, you get a structured syllabus of the most impactful, professional skills and sequenced lessons to help navigate the intricacies of career development. Plus, I teach you how to craft and implement your own personalized, effective, strategic, career growth plan to stand out and get ahead.

But, wait. There’s more. Because there always is.

I even created a FREE book club where you get an additional $1000 in leadership lessons (not a typo) as long as you have a book to read.

You can either grab 2 copies for the price of 1 from me or get a single copy, the ebook, or audiobook from the retailers.

Any which way is cool with me.

BOGO here...

Amazon here...

Thanks for being part of my community and reading all the way down here.?

I love writing these newsletters for you. If you’re still reading, know you have a special place in my heart!

Andy

…put people first, results second.