The truth about why you keep quitting your goals
Don’t be a tyrant to yourself: Build habits that work for your life
If you want to grow quickly, you have to optimize for growth.
A couple of years ago, I found myself borderline obese and discouraged. I tried eating healthy, but there was always the temptation to grab an unhealthy snack from the pantry. I'd be working late at night, feel like I wanted a snack, and so I’d grab one. My mind was too tired to say no or remind me that it wasn’t what I needed. And every time I ate that snack, I regretted it almost immediately.
It wasn’t until I intentionally optimized my habits that I started to see success and consistency.
You see, optimizing your life is really about finding the path of least resistance to stay consistent with whatever you're trying to do.
I think the reason a lot of people fail at their goals at the beginning of the year is because they try to start out strong with huge habits and goals that they’re going to try to accomplish. They insert these habits into their day-to-day life, and it’s hard to maintain them because of their schedule.
When a habit doesn’t fit, it eventually fades.
I wanted to eat healthy, high-protein foods—so whenever I went to the store, I made sure I only bought foods I wouldn’t regret eating. I also made sure to eat before grocery shopping so I wasn’t walking the aisles on an empty stomach, where I was more likely to grab junk food out of impulse.
Sidenote: if you’re trying to lose weight and get in shape, there are good, filling, and sweet foods out there—you don’t have to force yourself to eat dry salads with no dressing.
I also wanted to go to the gym. But I didn’t set a strict time every day to go because my schedule is always changing. What I did instead was commit to a cadence: I’d either go during lunch or right after work. I didn’t force myself to go every day at 7 a.m. sharp, because sometimes I’d be up late working on a project the night before and need a little extra sleep the morning after.
In other words, don’t treat yourself in a way you wouldn’t tolerate from someone else.
If you wanna build a habit, don’t wait until the beginning of the year—start today. If you’re at the point in your life where you say, “I’m done. I have to make a change,” that’s the perfect time to make one. Telling yourself, “I’ll do this next year,” is simply procrastination. Because truthfully, if you don’t make a change now, you’ll feel the exact same way a year from today.
My point with all of this is simple: if you want to optimize your life for success—if you want to build consistency—you have to build your habits around the life you currently live.
You may have to remove habits that no longer serve you and replace them with better ones. But at the end of the day, you’ll only stay consistent if the habits you’re trying to build fit into your current life.
What is your process for building habits? Leave a comment - I’d love to hear it. I am sure if would help others as well.
It’s so hard to make changes in my life with my changing schedule. But this helps me al lot. Thank you!