Think Big, Start Small…

Have you ever gotten all pumped up about something – learning the guitar, say, or doing bikram yoga — and then a few months, maybe weeks, later simply lost interest?

Of course, we all have.

Now there’s nothing wrong with trying something and deciding it’s not for you after all (hey, you’re talking to a law-school dropout here).

But if you listened to the Mental Toughness Summit interviews, you
heard it again and again: more than intelligence or talent, people who achieve their goals have a trait called “grit.”

And one of the defining characteristics of grit is consistency of effort – the ability to persist through adversity, plateaus and failure.

Makes sense, doesn’t it? Because anyone can do something when they feel like it.

Fortunately, the ability to be consistent — to show up when it’s uncomfortable and you don’t feel like it — is a mental muscle that you can exercise and strengthen.

So, here’s your ACTION for the week: choose ONE new habit you can commit to doing every day on an ongoing basis. Something you don’t feel much resistance around that will take no more than 5 – 10 minutes. Maybe it’s doing some stretches in bed when you wake up. Or going to bed 10 minutes earlier. Or writing down three things you’re
grateful for. Or drinking an extra glass of water. Or 10 squats. Something so easy, it would be quicker to do it than to come up with an excuse not to.

Then watch how this seemingly trivial action subtly affects your confidence in your ability to change your behavior.

Let me know how it goes in the comments!

2 Comments

  1. Pingback: The Power of 10 : Step Up Your Game

  2. Diane Koenigsberg December 29, 2011 at 5:11 am

    I’ve been listening to motivational speakers every day for the past three weeks. Maybe I’ll add some squats for the next week- butt’s getting a little wobbly with all this vacation…..

    Reply

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