Steven Handel - Small Habits, Big Changes: How the Tiniest Steps Lead to a Happier, Healthier You

Table of Contents

Text copyright 2018 Steven Handel. Design and concept copyright 2018 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized duplication in whole or in part or dissemination of this edition by any means (including but not limited to photocopying, electronic devices, digital versions, and the internet) will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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ISBN: 978-1-61243-857-3

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Contents

Every single choice you make influences your life in some way.

When your choices become ingrained in your daily routine, they end up becoming habits that are hard to change. Our daily choices become a deep part of how we see ourselves and how we live our lives.

We dont always realize the power behind these choices, because they start off being small and inconsequential. They only grow into something larger and more significant over time. One day you try your first cup of coffee, for whatever reason. Maybe a friend offers it to you, or youve watched your parents drink coffee for years, or you feel the need for a boost of energy before school or work. The initial reason doesnt really matter. Now fast-forward 10 or 20 years, and drinking that cup of coffee is likely something you do without thinking. Its just a normal part of your morning routineand you dont even question it.

Every habit follows a similar pattern. Every habit starts off with a conscious decision (even if its just Hmm, Ill try that!), then transforms into something you do because it has become a part of who you are. Its not conscious. It doesnt need a reason. You drink coffee every morning because you drink coffee every morning. Thats it.

All habits eventually become self-fulfilling behaviors in this way. Thats why they can be so powerful and so difficult to change. Of course, a habit can be healthy and constructive (such as going to the gym, reading books, or eating healthy foods), or a habit can be unhealthy and destructive (smoking cigarettes, arguing with people, or eating junk food).

Healthy or unhealthy, habits define our lives. They also determine where we are going in life and what waits in our future. Show me a persons daily routine and Ill tell you where they are heading in their future life. No, not because Im psychic, but because our habits always have long-term consequences, positive or negative.

Habits are influential, but they arent destiny. We have the power to change our habits if we are armed with the right mindset and tools to help us create long-lasting change in our lives. Thats the goal behind this book: to equip you with the information and techniques to make changing habits simple, easy, and fun.

My approach is focused on making tiny changes.

When people think about self-improvement, they may imagine big changes happening in their lives overnight. People who have never hit the gym before or seen a vegetable on their plate start setting unrealistic goalsIm going to start going to the gym seven days a week and only eat kale!

But how likely is it that they are going to be able to stick with their new goals?

Often when people try making big changes quickly, they soon become stressed, frustrated, and burnt out. Then they snap back to their old patterns. This is exactly why so many people who try to lose weight by following a special diet have a tough time keeping the weight off. They see their diet as a quick, temporary solution to a problem, without understanding the importance of thinking about the longer term.

I call this book Small Habits, Big Changes because I believe the key to self-improvement isnt to think bigger, but to think smaller. This means finding small habits that can build up exponentially over time.

Change rarely happens in one big moment. Change is often slow and gradual.

People fail at so many of their goals because they cant think small and long-term. They get caught trying to find that one magical solution that will change everything. And then when it doesnt, they give up on self-improvement entirely. If youve ever given up on a goal, its likely because you werent thinking small enough and thus went back to your former habits when you werent able to make the big change you wanted.

Lets say one of the things you want to change is your diet. You could completely overhaul your current diet: throw out everything in your kitchen and go shopping for healthy foods that youve never eaten before. Or you could start much smaller. Maybe instead of trying to change yourself completely overnight, you focus on a tiny change, such as one of these:

Substitute water for all of your soda intake.

Change your midday snack from potato chips to fruit or a salad.

Stop eating that candy bar while watching TV at night.

These are small habits that make a great starting point for healthier eating.

There are good reasons why focusing on tiny changes is way more effective than focusing on instant big changes. First, its easier to make a tiny change. It takes less willpower and less energy, so its more achievable. Second, accomplishing that tiny change will buoy up your confidence and prove to you that change is indeed possible.

Finally, success in making a tiny change starts to change the way you think about yourself. Once that change becomes a consistent habit, youve begun to change your identity and how you see yourself. Now youre no longer that person who drinks soda at every meal, eats potato chips every day, or eats candy while watching TV. Now youre the person who drinks water with every meal, snacks on a healthy salad, or can sit and watch TV without needing something sweet in your mouth.

When that tiny change influences you to see yourself in a new way, it opens up new opportunities for change. You start thinking, Hey, I stopped drinking soda, so why cant I stop eating junk food, too? Gradually you begin to see yourself as a healthy person who does healthy things. Thats just who you are now.

Youll be surprised by how much you can change in your life through nothing but tiny, gradual changes. Throughout this book, youll find collections of small habits to consider adding to your daily routine, along with tips and tools to try. Think of these as the nuts and bolts you can use to build up your daily routine, the tiniest of actions you can do each day to promote growth and well-being. But consider these to be suggestionsyou dont have to do all of them, but I want you to have many options from which to choose.

One big theme behind all self-improvement is that it requires self-experimentation. Youll find that some advice works for you and some doesnt make any sense whatsoever. Thats completely fine. Different things work for different people. Most importantly, be willing to try new things, because thats the only way to discover what works best for you.