I Want it NOW!

This week I want to go back to one of my new favorite books, Atomic Habits, by James Clear

In it he says,

“We often expect progress to be linear. At the very least, we hope it will come quickly. In reality, the results of our efforts are often delayed. It is not until months or years later that we realize the true value of the previous work we have done. This can result in a “valley of disappointment” where people feel discouraged after putting in weeks or months of hard work without experiencing any results. However, this work was not wasted. It was simply being stored. It is not until much later that the full value of previous effort is revealed.”

We can try one of two paths when we want to make a change.

1 - The Quick Fix Path

On this path you make drastic changes to your eating or exercise. You most likely see quick results. You may tell everyone that you have found the perfect diet or exercise program.

The problem: These changes are almost never sustainable. After a few weeks or months, you realize you can’t exercise for three hours a day or eat only kale. You stop the diet or workout program and oftentimes rebound back worse than before.

2 - The Slow and Steady Approach

On this path you make small, incremental changes. You most likely do not see quick results.

The problem: You don’t see quick results, so you quit.

This is where James Clear’s findings come in.

Small changes are sustainable, but they often don’t produce visible, tangible results immediately.

He says the work you are doing is simply being stored. Stored until you break through a threshold.

He says that habits must continue until we cross over what he calls the “Plateau of Latent Potential.”

In other words, we need to continue the habit long enough, without seeing results, until we hit the breakthrough point where we do see results.

Many of us are just beginning a new nutrition habit. We want to see immediate results, and sometimes we will.

But if we don’t...persist. Don’t let the “valley of disappointment” keep you from the mountain that is just around the corner.

This way we get the best of both worlds. We get the results we want, and we get change that lasts.

Check out next week's posts for strategies for making it through this valley.

Until then, let’s persevere through the “it’s not working” phase, knowing it is part of the process...one-minute at a time.

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If you are new to the blog, I want to encourage you to go back and check out my previous posts, as they serve as the foundation for what we talk about each week.

In addition, if you, or anyone you know would like to take your nutrition to the next level, please contact me about my coaching services.

Here's to the best version of you!