Develop Enduring Habits [Step 7]
What habits will support your long-term success?
I will confess that one of the strengths on the bottom of my Strengths Finder list of 34 is consistency. I am inspired to come up with the new vision and apply all of my energy in the early stages when my vision for change is novel. I set my goals and discover my winning growth strategy with enthusiasm, but then I realize the hard work of that requires determination and discipline lies ahead.
When derailers and distractors threaten my resolve, I have to intentionally remember the importance of creating consistent habits, that this is the stage in which something you do with devotion literally becomes a part of who you are.
What barriers keep you from building sustainable habits?
“Enthusiasm is common. Endurance is rare.
”
Build Identity-Based Habits
The aspirational vision for who you want to become (see step 1) will hopefully be a motivating force at each stage in your growth process. In the hard work of building habits, your vision of who you want to become should be front and center.
In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear discusses the importance of clarifying your ideal identity in establishing successful habits. You’ve done this work in an earlier step, but it becomes even more important as you face the task of rewiring the neurons in your brain to follow new pathways.
As you consider how to structure your days and schedule your time, realize that habits are the action steps that will most help to promote the development of your ideal identity. Instead of dreading the mundane monotony of daily discipline, remind yourself of your compelling vision for change with each intentional step you take towards a new habit, starting with this phrase: “I am the type of person who _________” (exercises every day, reads one book a week, donates to charity, etc.).
(See also these specific examples of identity-based habit building from James Clear).
“You have to become the type of person you want to be, and that starts with proving your new identity to yourself.
Ask yourself, “Who is the type of person that could get the outcome I want?”
”
Determine the Details
A successful new habit requires intentional planning. Charles Duhigg, James Clear, and other habit experts recommend similar paradigms for habit building:
choose a cue (your reminder to start the habit)
execute your response (follow through with your pre-determined decision)
celebrate with a reward (a motivating incentive)
The cue-response-reward approach is designed to help you automate your habits until they become embedded in your behavior.
This habit-building framework is adaptable to a wide range of different habits, ranging from personal health to leadership practices. However, the early stages of habit-building are the most challenging, and additional expert recommendations for success include:
start small (tiny steps - like 2 minutes a day of reading or jogging)
make it easy and enjoyable
anchor your new habit to an existing habit (also known as habit stacking)
“How we spend our days is of course how we spend our lives.”
If you don’t revel in the details of habit design, remember that this disciplined process is making your big picture vision possible, and will result in powerful payoff in terms of long-lasting behavior change. Establishing a habit tracker or other visual evidence of your progress can help you to recognize the compounding effect of your small, disciplined decisions.
What support will strengthen your resilience?
Anticipate the Barriers
I cannot count the times I have laid out an amazing plan and taken the first few steps, only to realize that I failed to anticipate important barriers and roadblocks. Perhaps I prepared for one challenge, but did not even consider another. The frustration of thwarted progress and setbacks can be overwhelming.
Despite our ambitions and aspirations, the truth is that our brains are wired to help us maintain the status quo, making complacency and convenience two of the key barriers we may face in our efforts to create new habits.
In his book Grow Towards Your Dreams: Practical Steps to Discover, Optimize, and Unleash Your Potential, Steve Moore describes other barriers that limit us from seeing our growth plans fulfilled, including ineffective time management, lack of personal discipline, and the remembrance of past failures. Hindrances such as these may also serve to reinforce our status quo perspectives, paralyzing our ability to see new paths forward.
As you seek consistent growth, ask these questions to identify potential barriers that may disrupt your discipline:
· What are my greatest barriers to habit formation?
· What beliefs or behaviors do I need to unlearn?
· How can I reprioritize my schedule to make room for new habits?
Practice Resilience
It’s astoundingly easy to get deterred from our path of growth and change. Distractions, detours, and devastations will inevitably interfere. In our early enthusiasm for growth, it is easy to assume that the initial adrenaline will secure our path to successful change. How can we be prepared to navigate setbacks and obstacles?
“One form of perseverance is the daily discipline of trying to do things better than we did yesterday. ”
So, what exactly is resilience? And how can you discern your level of resilience?
In her guideposts to whole-hearted living, Brené Brown describes the characteristics of resilient people as those who: solve problems, ask for help, have a network of support, cultivate hope, and practice critical self-reflection.
Take a moment to rate your resilience with these five questions:
How often do you readily solve problems (versus procrastinating, panicking, or projecting blame)?
How often do you ask for help when needed?
How connected are you to a strong network of support?
How do you build hope in yourself and others?
How do you practice critical self-awareness?
Coaching Inspiration
Save some of the coaching inspiration and tools you enjoyed in this blog. Follow me on Pinterest, where I curate resources for leaders, educators, and teams.
References
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: Tiny changes, remarkable results: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery.
Duckworth, A. (2016). Grit: The power of passion and perseverance. Scribner.
