If you make it to the starting line every day, the finish line will take care of itself.
So, it’s the new year, and you’re thinking about a resolution.
That’s awesome! Whether you want to get in shape, save more money, or want to learn guitar, your success is absolutely possible–as proved by the millions of other real live human beings who have set and achieved their goals despite living lives just as full of complications and challenges as yours.
It’s true. It’s a fact. You can do it!
But…be careful! Because you can also not do it! One recent study found that by January 19th most New Year’s resolutions have been abandoned. And that makes sense–because resolutions and goals usually involve day after day after day of sustained efforts.
Knowing Your Finish Line Is Only The Beginning
In the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey famously said, “Begin with the end in mind.” That is spectacular advice! Without a definite target, your efforts can become sporadic, unproductive, or aimless. As old-school motivational speaker Zig Ziglar said:
“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.”
Don’t Optimize For The Finish Line. Optimize For The Start Line.
An even older-school philosopher, Lao Tzu, famously said:
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”
But guess what? A journey of 999 miles also begins with one step. So does a journey of 1 mile!
If you think about it, whether you’re walking the Appalachian trail, getting in shape, or learning guitar, sustained effort requires a lot of starts.
The key isn’t perfection; it’s persistence. So doesn’t it make sense to optimize for getting started, day after day?
Put Getting Started On Easy Mode
In the context of habits, activation energy (a concept popularized by James Clear in Atomic Habits) refers to the effort required to start a behavior. The goal is to make starting so easy that it requires minimal effort. That means:
- EASY Environment: Do you have everything you need easily at hand?
- EASY Activation: Is it dead simple? Can you use as few brain cells as possible to decide what to do?
- EASY Motivation: Can you plug into a structure to take care of motivation for you?
Examples:
- EASY Environment
- I sleep in my workout clothes so I’m ready to exercise as soon as I wake up. This simple habit has helped me work out for almost 1,000 consecutive days.
- And my guitar is typically within an arms length of my desk–I literally can reach out and grab it. Does that make it easier to practice? Heck yeah!
- EASY Activation:
- A great way to start guitar practice is to play along with a 3 minute warmup from NYCGS Warm-Ups. Keep it simple!
- Don’t forget habit stacking–anchor getting started to something you already do consistently, like drinking coffee.)
- EASY Motivation
- Join a class or community that supports your goal! For me the combination of having an upcoming half-marathon on the books and joining a running club made staying motivated easy.
- For guitarists, a class and a scheduled show are magic for helping ensure that you make progress.
- For freelancers, Flow Club allows you to virtually hang out with other people as you work!
The Real Reward: The New You
The best part about this process isn’t just that you’ll likely hit your goal. It’s that you’ll be constantly creating a stronger, better version of yourself—the kind of person who keeps showing up.
So when you set your New Year’s resolution this year, focus on making it easy to start. Then, start. And start again. And again. If you make it to the starting line every day, the finish line will take care of itself.
On to greatness!
Dan
Learn Guitar in NYC
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