1: Introduction Can you think of an instance when someone deeply harmed you? This can be a friend who broke your trust, a loved one who disappointed you, or a co-worker who undercut your efforts. In these situations, forgiveness may appear to be an impossible task. Have you ever thought about the transformational power of forgiveness? In this blog post, you will learn about the powerful impact forgiveness can have on your live, as well as the great freedom and inner peace it provides. 2: What is Forgiveness Forgiveness is often seen as an act of weakness. However, this is a skill that only the strongest and most mature people possess. Forgiveness can liberate you from a constant anger towards a person and can cure relationships. As Buddha once said: “ Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned .”. You can better understand this quote with an example: Imagine your best friend broke your trust by t...
1: Introduction
In today's fast-paced world, it can be easy to get caught up
in the pursuit of quick fixes and instant gratification. However succes is not
achieved by bursts of motivations but by good consistent habits. The book
Atomic Habits describes the importance of habits and how
to build them effectively. Besides a guide to building good habits, it also
gives a guide to evading bad habits. First, I will give the 3 most important
ideas of the book and then the 4 principles for building good habits and
evading bad ones.
2: The 3 big ideas
According to James Clear a habit is a routine or behavior
that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. The first idea is
that if you want better results, you have to focus on the system instead
of focussing on your goals. By focussing on your goals, you are not actually
doing something in the current moment to reach those. But by focussing on your
system, you will improve the amount or quality of work you can have done. Think
of it this way: If you want to get a project done for work, wouldn’t it be
better to focus on how you are going to tackle the project instead of focussing
on the end result?
The second idea is that habits are the compound interest
of self-improvement. If you are not familiar with the term compound
interest, it is a term used in finance for the interest on the capital and the
accumulated interest. For example, if you have €100 and you have 50% interest,
you will have €150 and if you have 50% interest again, you will have €75
instead of €50. The same can be applied to self-improvement. In the book he
mentions that if you will become 1% better every day, you will become 37 times
better at the end of the year.
The third idea is that the most effective way to change
your habits is to focus not on what you want to achieve, but on who you wish to
become. For example if you want to run more often, your goal doesn’t have to
be that you can run 5km in 25 minutes but your goal is to become a runner no
matter the result. By forming your identity this way, you will also boost your
self-confidence.
3: Make it obvious
Making it obvious is the first principle of building habits.
It is meant to simplify the process of starting a habit by making it more
visible. By for example preparing your clothes for running, the next
morning you wake up you will see it and be reminded of your habit or by setting
fruit in a bowl on the kitchen table. On the other side for evading bad habits,
you have to make it invisible by for example hiding cookies or by putting your
phone away.
4: Make it attractive
The “make it attractive” principle is about making the process
of forming habits more enjoyable and appealing. By having positive emotions
and rewards, you will be more likely to stick to your habits because you don’t
see it as a chore.
James Clear suggests that you can make habits more
attractive by connecting them to your values, finding joy in the process,
and rewarding yourself for progress. For example, you can make exercise more
attractive by doing it with a friend, listening to music you enjoy while
working out, or treating yourself to a healthy snack after a workout. Again,
for evading bad habits, you have to make it unattractive
5: Make it easy
The third principle is to make it easier so that there is less
friction by for example having an app to guide in your meditation or
preparing your meals to make it as easy as possible to start your habit. On the
other hand, you have to make it more difficult for evading bad habits by for
example uninstalling social media so that you would have to install it again to
do your bad habit.
6: Make it satisfying
The last principle is to make it satisfying which may seem
closely related to making it attractive but this is about the reward and fulfillment
after the habit. This can help you to stick to good habits by celebrating small
wins by for example rewarding yourself after you have done your habit 20 times.
7: Conclusion
The most important thing I want you to remember is that habits are essential in achieving success because of consistent action. The 3 big ideas of habits are focussing on
the system rather than on your goals, that it can be seen as compound interest
and that it helps to focus on who you want to become. The 4 principles can be
applied to every habit that you are trying to create and the opposite for
evading bad habits.
8: Your next steps
1. Build 1 Habit: After reading this, you can take a
piece of paper and start by writing just 1 habit that you are trying to build
or avoid. Then see how you can apply the 4 principles to it. (60 seconds)
2. Stay Connected: Click the "about
me" section on the right side of this page and hit the Pinterest button to follow me. By staying connected, you'll
receive regular updates on future blog posts about personal development,
allowing you to continue expanding your knowledge and motivation. It only takes
a few seconds, but the benefits are priceless. (10 seconds)
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