What are the key elements of a habit?
Knowledge, skill, and desire.
Suppose you are in a team meeting and two colleagues are having an argument over who’s approach is more effective. You noticed that while their discussion focuses on the approach, they did not agree on the underlying objectives in the first place.
To move things forward, you know what you can do is to help them agree on the objectives. (That’s “knowledge”).
However, if you come in as an arrogant jackass pointing out their blindness, you might be just causing more chaos. (That’s…not the right “skill”).
Finally, if you really are a jackass and only want the success exclusively for yourself, you might laugh behind their backs instead of helping. (That’s a lack of “desire”)
Key elements of a habit
According to Stephen Covey, to form a habit, you have to have all three of these elements:
- The knowledge of what to do and why
- The skill of how to do it
- The desire that makes you want to do it
If you have all three, you will find habits that stick. But not all habits are created equal, remember to distinguish what you might want temporarily and what you eventually want in life.
If the habits of your choice are aiming for the desire of the long term, happiness comes with it naturally.
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Content inspired by The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
