“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” – John Maxwell
Once upon a time there was a wise teacher walking along with a student. The teacher challenged the student to pull a newly sprouted tree from the ground.
Easy.
Each new challenge got bigger and bigger until they encountered the Mighty Oak Tree.
“Impossible,” said the student.
“My son, you have just demonstrated the power that habits will have over your life. The older they are, the bigger they get, the deeper the roots grow, and the harder the are to uproot. Some get so big, with roots so deep, you might hesitate to even try.”
95% of everything we feel, think, do and achieve is a result of a learned habit. Would it surprise you to know that former pro NBA superstar Larry Bird practice 500 free throw shots each morning before school?
None of these things surprise us. We may have heard them all before and maybe even believe, the question is – how do we install empowering habits that will lead us to our better futures.
Here are 6 Key Ideas from Darren Hardy
- Prepare for success
If you’re going to be cutting down the carbs, have protein snacks on hand. Clear out the cupboards of temptations.
- Think addition instead of subtraction
Instead of thinking – what can I remove – instead think of all the things you can add.
In your nutrition plan – seek out all the amazing, nutritious snacks you can add in.
Think about all the fun disciplines you can add in to keep your mind off of dis-empowering habits.
- PDA’s rock
Not public displays of affection silly, public displays of accountability. (sorry if we got your hopes up there) 🙂
Often times sharing your results and commitments publicly can provide some added social pressure to follow through.
- Find a success buddy
Hook up with a weekly accountability or mastermind partner.
I have a weekly meeting scheduled with 2 of my marketing friends and it’s priceless for helping me stay on track and filled with great ideas.
- Competition
Some people are competitive by nature and so getting involved in a friendly competition can sometimes, be a great motivator.
- Celebrate success
We often continue to do those things we’re rewarded for so why not reward yourself for good behavior? This can range from a simple “WAHOO” to whatever you design to treat yourself.
Final Nuggets
- 99% of failures and success both have something in common – they hate doing the same things. The difference is – successful people do them anyway.
- Science shows that patterns of thoughts and actions repeated many times create what’s called a neuro-signature or a “Brain Groove.” (like a record) Our brains are malleable.
Isn’t it great we can change?
Have you used any of the above ideas or any others for having success installing habits?
I’d really love to hear about them below.
Another GREAT share Paul! I actually have used a few of those strategies…In my current company, I used the competition the company put forward. The top 200 in the company got would get to see Tony Robbins live, and the top 25 would actually get to meet him one on one. I aimed for the top position, and out of 75,000, I landed at spot #140, or something like that. However, for the month of October, that same competition landed me in the top 10 of the entire company as a recruiter & producer. The funniest thing is I didn’t even know where I ranked on the scoreboard. I just figured, if I do the work, then the score would take care of itself.
So competition certainly does work.
Also, a success buddy is amazing too! I feel like I have finally found one in you my friend!
Thank you Paul! You are awesome! Keep doing what you are doing!
WAHOOOO! I LOVE that story of you hitting the top 10 in your company Joseph. Such an achievement especially considering how many reps there are there.
And me too in you! So grateful and excited for where the seeds of our mastermind alliance can go and grow!