All of us have dreams, right? We want to achieve certain things and usually we set goals to see results, but what if setting goals isn’t the best answer? Instead, what if we decided to change our daily habits and do small, actionable things to achieve our dreams.
Speaking from experience, I have set goals in the past and only focused on the end result. I lost sight of what was needed on a daily basis to achieve what I wanted. The end result was me quitting and then feeling bad about myself for being at the drawing board yet again with a new goal.
Recently I came across a book by James Clear, “Atomic Habits” and I love its message and accessible approach to living our best lives by changing our habits, even if for just two minutes per day. James calls out the “Two Minute Rule”, which states any new habit should take less than two minutes. For example, I want to journal daily and think I should write at least a few pages or else don’t journal at all. This approach encourages you to say I will write for two minutes and if that’s four sentences, that’s awesome! It gets you doing it versus not doing anything at all. It’s a gentle way to go after what we desire while being kind to ourselves. We live in a society that focuses so much on doing all the time, so this is a nice shift.
Another habit I’m obsessed with right now are voice memos. I’m a big fan of writing notes but life doesn’t always allow me this luxury. I recently started doing voice memos to help keep track of any ideas or inspirations. It helps me feel like I’m still staying on track with my desires and keeps me in alignment with what I want.
Ask yourself what are small habits I can change that would align with my end goal/desire. The focal point is centered on your identity. For instance, I want to transition out of the entertainment industry and find a new opportunity. So, what does my daily life look like for obtaining this new opportunity? Rather than channeling the outcome, what are daily baby steps I can take to get me closer to that change. It’s connecting with new people on social media and getting involved in my community (remember two-minute rule). If I do more than two minutes, that’s great and if two minutes is all I can offer for that day, that’s amazing too. The main idea is you start becoming more accountable and involved in your dreams. As you start to change your habits, you begin to see results.
It’s very liberating to make these baby steps/changes on a daily basis. I find it builds self-esteem; makes you feel more positive about your intentions towards your desired result and helps you form a greater sense of identity and self-awareness.