🧭Habits Explained (by James Clear and Kobe Bryant)

Good Day, and welcome to The Growth Compass. We are just like M&Ms: we melt in your mind, not in your hands. We give you easy, mess-free strategies to reduce your stress, improve your resilience, and be more grateful.

Here’s where we’re headed today:

• Wayne Dyer on habits

• Why your habits do so much more than you ever imagined

• Kobe Bryant on the habit of excellence

• Concrete examples of how to start good habits and break bad habits

• James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, on habits

Wayne Dyer on Habits

"Healthy habits are learned in the same way as unhealthy ones - through practice."

- Wayne Dyer

Why Your Habits Matter

What are habits: Habits are the invisible architecture of your life. They are the automatic responses and routines you perform with little conscious thought or effort.

Why habits matter: Habits matter because they form the basis of your actions. They can serve as tools for growth and self-improvement, or conversely, as constraints that hinder your progress and well-being. 

• Habits improve your efficiency: Habits free up mental energy by automating routine actions, allowing us to focus on complex tasks.

• Habits improve your consistency: Good habits ensure we consistently work towards our goals, even on days when motivation is low.

• Habits reduce stress: Established routines can reduce anxiety by providing structure and predictability.

• Habits move you towards goals: Habits are the building blocks of larger goals, turning aspirations into action.

• Habits improve your self-discipline: The practice of maintaining good habits strengthens self-discipline and self-control.

What the science says: The science of habits is both rich and revealing, offering insights into how they form, how they can be changed, and the impact they have on our lives.

1. Researchers at Duke University found that about 40% of our behaviors on any given day are driven by habits rather than deliberate decisions (Neal, Wood, Wu, & Kurlander, 2011).

2. Phillippa Lally found that missing a single day did not reduce the chance of forming a habit.

3. A study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology showed that habits are formed through a process called 'context-dependent repetition,' where the environment cues the behavior (Wood, Tam, & Witt, 2005).

These studies underscore the power of habits as a driving force in our lives and the potential for change if we commit to the process.

Kobe Bryant on the Habit of Excellence

In the video below, Kobe Bryant is talking to the University of Alabama about how excellence is a habit and how he has developed it as a daily habit for his practice, preparation, and performance.

Kobe talks about the importance of constant improvement. He talks about the importance of your habits and your mindset.

• He believes that playing against weaker opponents should not be an excuse to ease up; doing so would only foster bad habits

• For him, excellence is a constant pursuit and should be maintained at all times, not just in high-stakes situations. Excellence should be habitual and a part of one's identity.

He emphasizes that the level of excellence he strives for is not situational—it doesn't matter who the opponent is or where the game is played. The standard he sets for himself remains the same, and he aims to deliver the same high level of performance every time he plays.

I also think it is interesting to listen to him talk about the details of how he thinks about the game. He doesn't just watch what's happening; he also considers all the potential outcomes of each play, both positive and negative. This level of analysis is so detailed that it could take him hours to go through a single game. He wants his performance to be so formidable that it makes the opponent feel as if they don't belong in the same league. 

Habit Re-formation

We will show how to use the habit framework below to specify examples of starting a good habit or breaking a bad habit.

The Calm Within: Look to start a daily meditation practice

The Initiation - I started with just five minutes a day, right after my morning coffee. The brevity made it less intimidating and easy to commit to.

Solidifying the Practice - The same principles that helped me wake up early applied to my meditation practice:

• Make it obvious: I set a specific corner in my living room as my meditation space, complete with a comfortable cushion and calming decor.

• Make it attractive: I chose a guided meditation app with a soothing voice and enchanting background music that I looked forward to hearing.

• Make it easy: I kept my meditation duration short, never more than I could handle, gradually increasing the time as I became more accustomed.

• Make it satisfying: After each session, I would journal briefly about the experience, noting the growing ease and the benefits I felt, which encouraged me to continue.

Nighttime Nibbles No More: Breaking a Late-Night Snacking Habit

As I cultivated good habits, I also recognized the need to break some bad ones. Late-night snacking was a comfort habit that had to go.

The Strategy - To break this habit, I used the inverse of the principles that helped me create good habits:

• Make it invisible: I cleared out the junk food from my pantry and replaced it with healthier options, out of sight and out of mind.

• Make it unattractive: I educated myself on the negative impact of late-night eating on sleep and health, which made the idea less appealing.

• Make it difficult: I brushed my teeth right after dinner, creating a psychological barrier to eating again.

• Make it unsatisfying: If I did find myself reaching for a snack, I chose something unsatisfying for my cravings, like a plain rice cake, which eventually diminished the habit's hold on me.

Take time to prepare and think through ways to create good habits or break old, bad habits.

James Clear on Habits

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