Motivation is unreliable.
It’s is like that friend who’s super enthusiastic about your plans but never shows up when you actually need help. (I’m looking at you, X 🙂
So what separates people who achieve their goals from those who just talk about them and give up at first try? Habits.
Every time I had a grand idea (or so I thought) I was fired up. I’d work day and night fuelled by pure excitement. Then reality hit – the rejections, the slow progress, the boring administrative stuff.
So I learned to force the behaviour before I felt like it. I scheduled business development emails and calls every morning between 9 AM and 11 AM, whether I felt inspired or not. I wrote content every Tuesday and Thursday, even when I had nothing “brilliant” to say. I created systems and made those things a habit.
People love the idea of instant gratification – they want to eat the cake now. But smart people? They think long term. They don’t just want the cake, they want to own the bakery and get free cakes forever.
You’ve probably heard it takes 10,000 hours to master something. But here’s what they don’t tell you – forming a simple habit takes about 66 days on average, not years. The trick is starting so small you can’t fail.
Steve Jobs wore the same black turtleneck every day. Zuckerberg has his gray t-shirts. Not because they lacked style, but because they removed one decision from their day. They automated the small stuff to focus on what actually mattered.
When something becomes a habit, your brain stops fighting it. It becomes as automatic as brushing your teeth. You don’t debate whether to do it – you just do it. And even when your internal voice is telling you you’re doing shit, you keep on going until you have enough data to verify if this thing will actually work or you should pivot or abandon it and start something new.
Start ridiculously small. Want to exercise? Commit to one push-up. Want to read more? One page. Want to network? One email to someone ahead of you.
The goal isn’t perfection on day one, but about showing up consistently until your future self doesn’t even question it.
