“Don’t tempt me with that delicious cake. I’m on a diet.”
“So what? You can always start over tomorrow.”
“But this is the fourth time this year.”
Something I wrote to make a point
It’s easy to start a task. People do it all the time. At the beginning of each year, people start writing novels only to give up after a few weeks. Some start exercising or dieting but lose their resolve after a few days and revert to their old habits. Building a new habit is just like a marathon. Many people will be at the starting line. Some will drop out after some time. A few will actually cross the finish line.
Most people make resolutions and plans in good faith. They actually want to improve their capacity or get more done. The problem lies in their mindset. They believe just wanting it should be enough. They make the plans and create the checklists. So far, so good. Now, if they could only actually start and keep doing it. It’s not easy to make a commitment to do every important task on your to-do list when due. There will be days when you encounter resistance.
Start Small
If your goal is to read more books and you are yet to develop the habit of reading, your best bet is to do something so simple it seems absurd. Read 10 pages a day. It doesn’t sound like much but 10 pages a day add up quickly to become 70 pages a week and 300 pages a month. You’d have read a decent sized book in a month.
Don’t break the Chain
Comedian, Jerry Seinfeld is famous for crossing a big red “X” on a wall calendar for each day he writes down new material. After a number of days, he wakes up every morning and he sees those line of X’s on the wall and he asks himself do I really want to ruin that beautiful pattern I have there?
Bounce back
Did you fail to go for your morning exercise today? That’s bad but it need not be the end. Whatever you do, make sure you don’t miss it tomorrow. The days you fail should be the exceptions and not the rule. You can do it.
