Abundant Mind #020

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Read Time: 4.5 minutes

Hey bud,

Have you ever struggled with maintaining good habits after already starting to take a good amount of action?

Doesn’t it get frustrating when you fall off the proverbial horse?

I’ve experienced it.

You’ve experienced it.

We’ve all experienced it.

Maybe this will sound familiar:

“Argh, I already went against my diet this morning, so I might as well eat junk food for the rest of the day.”

Or maybe this:

“I didn’t wake up in time to workout, I’ll just continue to sleep in. It’s the weekend anyway.”

We try to get things down so perfectly that when one thing goes wrong, we allow it to be a domino effect and derail our momentum.

But Nina Amir put it wonderfully in one of her blogs:

In this week’s letter, we’ll dive into how we can create and maintain healthy habits, and how we can get back on the saddle again when we fall off.

Now, before we dive deeper, an announcement.

I am opening up my calendar for one-on-one coaching.

If you are interested in creating solutions to the problems you’re currently facing, having accountability with maintaining good habits, or moving towards a life of abundance - book a discovery call here.

Why Should I Even Work on My Habits?

Your habits are the foundation of your character. In essence, who you are.

And you don’t get results based on what you want or desire; you get results based on who you are.

If you are someone who is lazy, you will get lazy results.

If you are someone who is disciplined, you will get disciplined results.

If you are someone who is excellent, you will get excellent results.

Results come from habits.

Now, I can’t really talk about habits without quoting James Clear, can I?

He’s branded himself so well with his book Atomic Habits, that every time someone says the word habit, I think of James Clear.

By taking control of your habits, you take control of your results, and you take control of your life.

Creating and Maintaining Healthy Habits

There are many ways and strategies out there online on how to form habits.

• The 21/90 Rule on building habits

• Cue, Routine, Reward

• 66 Days to form a habit

Well, I don’t really attach the formation of my habits to a limited time like the 21/90 rule where a habit is formed in 21 days, and in 90 days it becomes a lifestyle.

Why?

Because essentially, I’m telling my brain that after 21 days or 90 days, I can stop taking action.

The preferred way I build habits personally is through identity-based habits.

Here’s how I do that:

1. I first identify the result that I want.

2. Then, I focus on what type of person typically already has that result.

3. I then attach the formation of my actions (and later habits) to that identity.

This way, as I build new habits, I also form a new identity or personality.

For example, the result I want is to run 10kms in under 50 minutes.

The type of person that typically already has that result is a strong runner.

I then ask myself, “What’s a small action I can do that strong runners typically do?”

I would think they wake up early in order to train.

So, I’ll make it a mini goal to wake up 30 minutes earlier the following day.

When I do wake up 30 minutes earlier and get out of bed, I’ll affirm myself by saying “I am a strong runner!” 

This small win is one vote for the identity that I am forming.

And every time I act in alignment with that identity, I’ll affirm myself: “I am a strong runner!”

By doing this, I gather evidence for my brain to prove that I am that type of person.

Eventually, the actions of that type of person will become easier and easier to do for me — because my brain already believes that I am that type of person.

We always act in alignment with who we believe we are.

Try this out yourself. And remember, as James Clear said:

How To Get Back on Track

Here are 3 simple ways you can use to get back on track when you fall off the proverbial horse:

1. Restart Small

Sometimes it can be tempting but daunting to restart with the same level of movement you once had before falling off the horse.

But reality is, you need to rebuild your momentum.

You can read all about regaining momentum in my previous letter here.

So, restart small. Do one small thing that’s in line with the identity of the type of person that has the results you want.

Meet yourself where you’re at, and have compassion towards yourself.

2. Find Accountability

When you’ve stated your intentions and shared it to someone who can hold you accountable, you’re more likely to follow through on taking action.

Find a friend or someone you know that has the same goal as you.

Reach out to them and say something like “Hey, I’m working on X, I know you’re also working on something similar, would you like to be accountability buddies?”

That way you can help build each other up.

Alternatively, you can also find someone professionally to hold you accountable.

3. Care

This is a very simple way to get back on track but it’s an important one.

Make sure that the habits you’re trying to maintain are actually important to you.

It’s amazing how many people work on things that don’t really hold much value for them.

You have limited time and energy in a day. Make sure to use it wisely.

In Conclusion

Change can be quite challenging.

In the beginning it may take a mountain of effort to get yourself moving in the direction you want.

But it gets easier with each day of you building momentum.

And remember, falling off the horse doesn’t make you a failure, it makes you human.

Even the most successful people mess up on their habits. What separates them isn’t sheer will or any well kept secret, it’s simply their ability to get back on the horse quickly each and every time.

And once you master how to do that, you’re on your way to building a life you truly desire.

Always remember, that you deserve that.

Talk soon,

Zach

P.S. Whenever you are ready, there are 2 ways that I can be of help to you:

1. Follow me on Instagram here if you want a source of bite-sized ideas and content that can help you reach your next level in life.

2. Book a discovery call for one-on-one coaching here if you are an entrepreneur or sales professional currently looking to create solutions to a problem or challenge in your life but you seem to be stuck.