Atomic Habits

Written by Leigh Martinuzzi

James Clear in on a mission to assist others to make gradual, 1%, improvements, every day. His belief is that one does not rise to the level of their goals but rather falls to the level of their systems.

As a travelling photographer, professional weightlifter and now a respected expert on habit formation James says that many of us are more likely to admit defeat and succumb to self-blame when what they truly desire to achieve in life just isn’t happening. In my interview with James, he said it’s not you, it’s your systems.

I remember years ago while listening to a James Altucher podcast he said if we can just aim to be 1% every day at the end of the year, with an accumulative interest component, we’d become 3800% better. If we digress by the same amount we’d lose 97% of our value. A good reason to keep on pushing forward.

From a philosophical and psychological perspective, the story is much the same. If we can aim to be just that little bit better each day, without comparison to others or fear of judgment, we are on the right path to success – assuming, of course, that the path we are travelling is aligned with what we truly value.

Logically this all makes a great deal of sense. However, what typically happens is that we meet roadblocks. We are faced with challenges and we fall victim to our bad habits and poor or unfavourable routines. In this book, James presents a simple framework to help others improve every day. Created from personal experience and backed by years of research within the fields of biology, psychology, neuroscience and philosophy. And it all beings with our habits.

When you think about it, many of our habits define much of our reality. Habits are settled or regular practices that are somewhat embedded in our every day lives. The word itself means “condition” or “to consist of.” That is exactly how our habits form. At first, we consciously adopt certain behaviours or practices and after many repeated occurrences, they become second nature. Those things we think, say and do without a great deal of conscious thought or energy. And because they are so conditioned they are very difficult to break.

Despite our best ability to exert some level of willpower or control over creating new habits or breaking old ones we often struggle. If, and often it does, become too hard we a likely to give up, defeated. We walk away, tail between our legs with a belief that there is indeed something wrong with us. We want to make changes, we can visualize the benefits that will result if we do but simply feel like we cannot. Helpless!

James will highlight tools and strategies that will assist you in mastering habit transformation that will result in the ability to make 1% improvements day to day in your life. With a simple guide outlining the four stages of habit formation, Cue, Craving, Response, Reward, you will better understand the science behind our habits. Like anything awareness, knowledge and understanding are the first steps to change and progress. We need to continually educate ourselves and who better to learn from than someone who has dedicated a large chunk of their life to this particular discipline.

It’s not complicated. It’s not scary or designed to push you too far beyond your comfort zone to a point of exhaustion. It is a simple system that will protect you from stumbling backwards on your journey to mastery. One story James shared in our interview and also mentions in the book is how making the habit simple at first is a good starting point. Once the habit forms, you can increase the intensity or challenge of the practice from there.

One follower of James signed up for the Gym and all he did for a few months was simply to put on his gym clothes, enter the fitness centre and then walk out. After doing this day after day, the new habit formed and soon enough it just made sense to make use of the time. Big goals and dreams are great but not at the cost of first forming the right habits to get you there.

If habit formation is an area of interest for you academically or you are like the many of us that are always looking for ways to improve I believe you’ll learn a great deal from this book and other work by James.

Enjoy the read by picking yourself up a copy using the link below. Let me know your thoughts.

Also, make sure you check out our interview here – James Clear @ The Hidden Why.

670 James Clear – Build Good Habits & Break The Bad Ones with Atomic Habits

If this book sounds of interest you can purchase Atomic Habits here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

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Further Reading and Resources 

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Psychology Today: Psychology Today is devoted exclusively to everybody’s favourite subject – Ourselves

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Elite Daily: The Voice of Generation Y

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The Minimalists: How to pursue a minimalist lifestyle and be happier.

Mind Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain

Rich Roll: Plantpowered Wellness Advocate

The Art of Charm: Build confidence, feel comfortable and networking differently.

American Psychological Association: The largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United State

The Art of Manliness: Encouraging men to be better husbands, fathers, brothers, citizens.

Tiny Buddha: Simple wisdom for complex lives.

Brain Pickings: An inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.

Mind Body Green: Lifestyle media brand dedicated to inspiring you to live your best life.

Zen Habits: Find simplicity and mindfulness in life.

Creative NonFiction: “true stories well told.” 

Addicted 2 Success: Motivation & Inspiration Website full of quotes and inspiring articles for entrepreneurs.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life.

The Positivity Blog: Practical articles on happiness, self-esteem, productivity and social skills.