Habits & Commitments

Habits are so hard to break. And that’s a problem—when they’re bad habits. But when they’re good habits, it's a boon, a strength, a gift.

It’s much harder to follow through on a commitment than it is to maintain a habit. Why?

Because the former is made with our mouths; the latter is embedded in our bodies.

The former is made with good intentions (hopefully); the latter happens despite intentions (usually).

The former is something we hope to do; the latter is something we’ve done many times and hoping makes almost no difference. It just happens.

Maintaining a diet (a commitment to yourself or your body or your dieting team) is easy to break. The habit of eating healthy isn’t so easy to break.

Habits often begin with commitments, but if they’re not achievable, they do more harm than good.

Commit to that one, achievable thing—not the BIG goal but the first small step toward the BIG goal—and do it. That’s a win. Commit to doing it again. That’s another win. And Again. You get the idea. In a month, it will look easy in the rearview mirror. That’s because it’s a habit now.

Don’t commit to "building on it", which is just an attempt to trick yourself into committing to the BIG goal. Simply commit to the next very small, achievable thing.

People like us that are unwilling to continue in ways like this are committed to change…and that’s why we invest in forming habits.