Which Will Take You Further: Motivation or Habits?
Happy first day of the NFL season! While I can't wait to watch KC on Sunday, I'm just grateful my Thursdays and Mondays have some extra excitement in store for the foreseeable future.
The NFL has been making a lot of national headlines in recent years, and this week has been no different. Nike launched their 30th "Just Do It" campaign featuring a very polarizing figure: Colin Kaepernick. While this is not a political discussion, few can argue that Nike's newest commercial is inspiring and powerful, featuring many athletes who have had to overcome adversity to gain the platform they currently have. Take a look for yourself below.
Motivating, right? I know when I watched this for the first time, I was ready to run through a wall I was so pumped. This reminds me of how I feel when I listen to Eric Thomas, Jocko Willink or other motivation speakers. If this ad doesn't speak to you (we are all unique), substitute in whoever motivates you
This ad got me thinking of a lesson I picked up from The Model Health Show by Shawn Stevenson. When it comes to life, motivation can help to inspire change and redirect our course in life. It pumps us up and makes us believe we can conquer the world. Yet, it doesn't have the staying power we desire.
The classic example is New Years resolutions. The clock strikes twelve and instantly we are a changed and driven person. Yet, most of us fail to make it two weeks into our new commitments. This type of motivation only proves to clog up gyms and waste money on unused memberships.
However, some are able to make a commitment and stick to it. I personally know someone who put down sugar a few years ago as a NYR and has managed to follow a ketogenic diet ever since.
What's her secret?
Creating sustainable habits.
While motivation gets our blood pumping, habits make our good (and bad) behaviours automatic. While motivation pushes you towards your goal, habits pull.
I'm certain any of the athletes in the above video would say it was not their level of motivation that helped them achieve their goals. but the small things they did everyday. I've had the pleasure of playing with/against many high level athletes, some of whom are currently in the prime of their professional careers. While almost any athlete will listen to music or spoken word before a game to get pumped up, it's the countless hours of positive habits that allow them the opportunity to play the sport they love.
So, what can we learn from this? The lesson we are focusing on today is this: the little things you do matter. Our brains are wired for patterns; the things that we do most often are going to be what we do unconsciously. So, while skipping that workout, or watching one more episode of The Office may seem like a small decision, it creates a pattern. The more we indulge in the habits that fail to move us forward, the more likely we are to continue these habits for years to come. It's the same as adding a candy bar to your shopping cart in the checkout line: while a $1 purchase doesn't seem significant in the moment, over ten years of bi-weekly shopping trips, you've spent $1040 on Snickers bars. Satisfied?
I've had my own experience with small habits having big effects in my life. One of my worst habits was my constant negative self-talk. Anytime I didn't live up to my unrealistically high standards, I told myself I was dumb, useless and worthless. Even when I accomplished something, I found the flaws in my performance, and only focused on the negative. While I can appreciate a little self-deprecating humour every now and again, this has compounding effects. I can honestly say I hated myself for a good part of my life; the way I talked to myself was a major contributor to my depression.
Thankfully, I have experienced the positive side as well. About a year and a half ago, I decided that no matter what, I was going to make my bed every morning. It was my baseline habit: making my bed acted as a catalyst for all of my other positive habits, and raised the floor on my bad habits. While making my bed seems so insignificant in the grand scheme of things, it started a revolution. I am happy to report I have made my bed everyday since I made that commitment. It was not because I was always on top of my game or super motivated to tackle my day. In fact, I had many days where I wanted to do nothing. Yet, my habit pulled me out of bed and started my day with a win.
Whether it's working out, eating healthy, battling addiction or defeating depression, it's the little things you do that will determine the outcome. I challenge you this week to become aware of your habits (both good and bad) and see where they are taking you. Consciously adding in positive habits allows the negative ones to fall away naturally, so choose one small, achievable habit, and make it a part of your routine. It takes about 30 days to create a habit, and you're going to lose motivation along the way, but a commitment to doing the small things right will make all the difference.
As always, if you want help creating positive habits in your life, or need some support in overcoming your obstacles, check out the One-On-One section of our site. The first meeting is FREE, so what do you have to lose?
In closing, I will leave you with this:
The most successful people in the world are not the most motivated, but the ones who do the same things day in and day out. Where are your habits taking you?