“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotle.
It’s easy, in the eleventh hour, to just give in. To give up.
That day you were finally going to go for a run to get your fitness level back on track, were you really too tired?
That business you were finally going to start; was it really not an ideal time to make it a reality?
And what about that novel you were finally writing? Were you really too busy to find the time to work on it?
We set a goal. We make a plan. We work to the plan. We allow no excuse to deviate from a goal. And then we find success. Or so they say.
It’s the traditional thinking; the kind of thinking that assumes every individual is a bastion of willpower that can achieve everything they want to.
Few of us are truly like that. Most of us are conflicted, contradictory creatures who suffer from a subconscious fear of change. It’s a natural reaction, and in that reaction lie the roots of our bad habits.
When we make a decision to change our bad habits, we start the process of separating them from this fear. The longer we strategise, the longer we procrastinate, the longer the fear has to restore itself and keep those habits firmly planted in our behaviour.
That is why, after all that time, you didn’t lose the weight, make that career change, or realise your great work.
When you have a big change to make in life, you must take big steps to make it happen. Don’t dig out your bad habits, rip them out!
Throw yourself into situations that will help you become the person you really want to be. Don’t make excuses, don’t potter in the process of perfecting a plan. Take action, and make it happen now!
You won’t suddenly become a new person overnight, but you must break through the barrier of uncertainty, place your feet firmly on the road to change, and accept that there is no going back before concerning yourself with how you’re going to make it to your destination.