The simple essence of growth

A primer on building momentum

You are not what you want to be

You are not what you day-dream of

You are not what you eat

You are not what you read

You are what you do every day

You are what you think every minute

You are what your energy is now.

Want to be a writer? Write every day

Want to be a musician? Practice, play, and mentor every day

Want to be fit? Work on it, every day

“How do I do something every day, though?”

Over multiple trials and errors, this is what I have realised:

1. Start

You don’t need the perfect plan. You don’t need to see what the end looks like. All you need is to start. Whether it is a sentence into a writing journey or a 1-minute run into a running journey or one push-up into a fitness journey. Start.

2. Make that 1% change every day.

Am sure you have seen it too. It came up as a random forward via WhatsApp into my phone sometime last year. It said 1.01 to the power of 365 is 37.783. Made sense immediately. A one percent improvement especially is a great way to form habits.

Meditate that five extra seconds. Hold the plank that one extra second. Run that one extra step. Practice that one extra minute.

Track the progress on a chart. See the worm climbing up.

3. Don’t break that chain

As Jerry Seinfeld inspired an aspiring stand-up comedian, keep at it. Don’t break that chain. I was surprised to see how much my Self wants to stick at it once the chain is unbroken for a month and a habit is formed.

The more you do, the more you become.

Identity evolves in hindsight.

I am keen to hear your thoughts.