We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then , is not an act, but a habit.
Bad habits are like a comfortable bed...easy to get into, but hard to get out of.
But research has shown that willpower is like a muscle; it gets tired when exerted for extended periods of time. So, building new habits is less about grit and more about strategy. You’ll increase your chances of success by understanding how to break a habit into pieces—and then making a plan.
A habit is comprised of three parts: a cue, a routine, and a reward. The cue is the prompt, something that triggers you to do a routine. The routine is the behavior we commonly think of as the habit. And the reward is the payoff, the satisfaction we get from meeting some craving or need. These three components, when put together, are called The Habit Loop. And every habit follows it: cue, routine, reward; cue, routine, reward.
Practice makes permanent. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
"...the conscious mind is the bottleneck of the brain. It can only pay attention to one problem at a time”. Whereas focused thought takes place in the conscious mind, habitual behaviors are driven by the subconscious. “Habits reduce cognitive load and free up mental capacity, so you can allocate your attention to other tasks."
"Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become...Each time you write a page, you’re a writer. Each time you practice the violin, you’re a musician. " The idea is to cast as many votes as possible for the person you’d like to become. In time, as you accumulate votes, you will prove to yourself that you are the type of person that you chose to be.
The more you repeat a behavior, the more you reinforce the identity associated with that behavior...Whatever your identity is right now, you only believe it because you have proof of it. If you go to church every Sunday for twenty years, you have evidence that you are religious. If you study biology for one hour every night, you have evidence that you are studious. If you go to the gym even when it’s snowing, you have evidence that you are committed to fitness. The more evidence you have for a belief, the more strongly you will believe it.
Habit is habit, and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.
Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters.