The Truth About Habits

It's that time of year when our inboxes are filled with productivity planners, goal setting, and let’s not forget the New Year's resolutions.

The thing is, this can be a confusing time for many, who simply do not know how to make their goal or resolution come alive, let alone achieve it.

Are the success stories, the planners, and the goal setting exercises taking you away from getting things done? We all love a good success story and quotes that are inspirational about things that people have achieved, and things that we too dream about for ourselves.

Unfortunately, those very same stories and inspirational quotes can sometimes do the opposite from their intention…provide a lovely side-line of taking you away from getting the work done…aka. Distraction. Because if you expect massive success, how motivated can you realistically be on the daily effort required to get the work done?

The other thing to note here, as you flick through the emails, your newsfeed on Instagram or Facebook, or a glossy magazine is this…how do you feel about your own success when it absolutely pales in comparison to every story you read?

If you're bad at following through on your plans (of which I have been guilty of over the years), your chances of achieving any kind of success is not that great. It’s not all doom and gloom though, as an entrepreneur, you have the ability. It could be a simple tweak of not knowing exactly how.

As an entrepreneur, you have to be able to work through the tough times, where the return on investment may take months for things to happen at times. It could be building an online course, implementing your social media plan…it's the 10-year overnight success.

What You Don’t See

What you don't see in these stories, the success posts and the inspirational quotes, is the 10 years of that person working silently when no-one is watching, when no-one knows anything about you or what you do, all the hard work, pain and overwhelm that led to the overnight success.

All the work that gets put into building something before there's any kind of payoff. Because the problem with the stories, of course, is that it looks like success overnight, when it's not. It's the impression we get that success ought to happen explosively and when you want it to happen…RIGHT NOW…the expectation of the silver bullet, which simply doesn't exist.

We don't read about the unexciting success stories or see what's going on at a personal level when things aren't going well or where there's cash problems or technology challenges, or for many, adversity. Perceived success is measured and reported in an unrealistic way rather than the cold hard truth of reality.

Knowledge Is Not Power

Knowledge is not power unless you implement it – thanks Kate Purtle for your words of wisdom. It is so true because it’s not that there is not enough information available, it's the opposite in fact in that there is TOO MUCH information available, which causes procrastination and a deep seeded…’I need to know more’ challenging behaviour, rather than just getting in, doing the work and implementing.

It's the gap between the thoughts and the action, where you may think about changing a part of you, or setting a goal…to taking action and doing the work. Twenty minutes of something is better than 20 hours of thinking about it.

It's the follow through, it's the payoff of what we're looking for, and that can take time, and right now people don't want to wait, they want it now!

The Miracle Of 1%

Reading most self-help books, the big recommendation is to set a goal…a big one, without a glass ceiling. That is true; I definitely believe in having a purpose and mission in life. The thing is, it can be completely overwhelming when it comes to actually doing the work during times of adversity. Focus on what needs to be done, one percent at a time. Rather than looking to the future and focusing on your big goals—even though they are fantastic and of course you really should have them—bring it back to the present.

Bring it back to the miracle of one percent… because when adversity strikes, it may be all you have. It’s while focusing on that ONE thing, the one percent of working towards that ONE goal, that small incremental change happens…one percent at a time. It could be taking a 10-minute walk when you weren't walking at all. It could be attending a reiki session or massage and relaxing and being in the moment for just one hour a week, when you were never doing that for yourself before. Or perhaps, planning out the next weeks content for your tribe on social media, when you have been posting stuff for the sake of it, without a strategy or meaning.

You may ask…Why? Why focus on one percent, when so often we are asked to do three main tasks, or to make a significant change in how we do life? The reason is simple: I believe a focus on one percent is doable, achievable, one day at a time. It allows you to live in the present. And the best part is, all those “one percents” add up. They build, adding up to massive change and achievement…success despite adversity.

Back To Your Goals And Resolutions

How do you get your goals and your New Year's resolutions to reality?  Over the years, I have not been a fan of most 30-day challenges because generally speaking people can't stick to it, the statistics are not great…95% of people quit and give up on their dream, which only leaves 5%...to truly change a habit, I believe a focus on one percent, one day at a time is doable.

The 30-Day Let’s Do This Challenge

Join me for a 30-day challenge to change one habit or set one intention you want to set for 2019.

Step One:

Set aside 20 – 30 minutes, grab your favourite pen and notebook and start to think how you want to feel on December 31 this year. Who do you want to be, what would you like to achieve? Write them all down, making sure you describe how it is going to FEEL.

Step Two:

Choose one habit or intention, the one that will give you the most joy of achieving. The reason why I say just one at this time, is that by achieving this one, it usually sets you up to achieve many more…but one is enough for now.

Step Three:

Commit to yourself, to me, find an accountability buddy. Click here to join our private ‘Let’s Do This’ Facebook group. There is no catch, no cost, no selling, just a commitment to you to want to undertake the Miracle 1% lifestyle change, people who are a part of the same tribe.

Now like many of you, I know only too well what happens when I set out on making a change and fail within the first week. There is a reason for that. You need to understand how your brain works when it comes to forming new habits. If you have completed step one and are committed to 30 days, then let’s do this.

Stage One: The ‘Not Cool’ Stage

These are what I call the not cool, not fun first 10 days because the first 10 days of implementing any new habit or ridding yourself of an old habit can feel so not cool. It feels horrible, hard and almost out of reach. Although you may find that the first few days are exciting because it's new…that bright shiny object syndrome fades fast and reality sets in. To be honest, you may even hate it and wonder why in the world you chose this goal over others.

It's painful, it's not fun anymore, and it's really not cool. Every cell in your body, every thought in your head wants to resist and reject this change. Your brain tells you to bugger off, that you are a loser, and resentment kicks in.

And then your body starts to tell you it doesn’t like how it feels with all this change, and then you want to quit which means risking mediocrity, and being a part of the 95%, failing time and time again. It could be starting a new exercise routine, quitting smoking, eating better, sticking to your budget, or sticking to the social media marketing plan to grow your business to improve the quality of your life. A lot of people don't even get through the first 10 days.

Let’s do this

Now, to make any change, it is in the PLANNING and PREPARATION, which means, rather than just starting right now, do a little planning and prep’ work so that you are well set-up for the first 10 days.

When you know there is a price to pay for your success, it’s what I call the sweat economy, and you know the first 10 days will be challenging and that you believe 100% it's only going to be temporary because you have committed yourself to doing the work based on your intention and your bigger purpose, your goal, you can beat the odds and succeed by focusing on that rather than on the short-term pain and resistance that you feel.

The reason for this is simple, the first 10 days of any habit change are not a picnic, definitely not fun and it's not enjoyable, but you can defy the statistics and be a “5 per center”.

Would you like to be one of the five percent? Then stick to the challenge.

Stage Two: The Refreshing Stage

The second phase is the next 10 days. This is the refreshing stage. You've already got through the first 10 days, the most difficult 10 days possible, and then you're beginning the second phase, which may be a little bit easier. You'll be getting used to the new intention and habit that you're forming, and you've got through the worst part which means you've got some confidence that you can break it.

While the first 11 to 20 days are not cool, they're still refreshing, and refreshing can have both a positive and a negative side. It's still uncomfortable. It's still going to require commitment, and it still will require discipline on your part to be one of the five percent, and at this stage it's going to be very tempting to fall back on your old behaviours that are still very much a part of who you are. This is the stage to stayed committed.

This is the stage to do the discipline. What I call the consistent minimum. What is the minimum requirement today to meet whatever you have set to achieve your goal? It's the one percent change and having support with accountability is key at this time. Reach out, join us in the group, you’re not alone.

Stage Three: The You’ve Got This Stage

You've made it through the first 20 days, you're now on the home stretch in the final 21 to 30-day phase. The finish line is just ahead. As you enter this stage, it's going to feel great. You're going to have more confidence, and unfortunately the old 21 days to create a new habit theory is only partly true. It's right for the first 20 days, this is where it takes commitment and consistent minimum to sustain your new habit.

This last phase, this is the transformational part. This is where the five percent achieve and the 95% don’t…it's where who you are becoming begins to shine. This is who you are now, not just who you want to be… no more black and white pain and pleasure of something you’ve wanted to achieve. It is the deep formation of where this habit becomes a lifestyle, a part of the way you live on a day-to-day basis.

A lot of people at this stage think ‘AWESOME’ I've made it through the first three weeks, I'm just going to have a day or two off now to reward myself for all the hard work I have been doing.’ This is not the time to change ANYTHING of what you have been achieving for the last three weeks.

Taking a few days off before you've invested the time to really reinforce your habit 1% at a time, can be very difficult to get back on track. So please stay with it, stay with what you've worked on, that one thing you set your sights on, to get you through these 30 days.

Don't think for a second that it could be something that you really desire. It could be a habit you’re wanting to change.

I have developed a daily checker for the small 1% incremental steps required for your new habit, the work you do to achieve your ONE intention or goal. For those who are ready for the challenge, you will find this in the Let’s Do This’ group, click here to JOIN US

It’s about keeping it super simple, keep it doable 1% at a time.

Have a great week.

Bron