"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
I love this quote by the late Jim Rohn. So many times in my life, I’ve felt motivated, but I didn’t create a habit in my life. Therefore, nothing happened in that area of my life. Years would go by and no real progress took place.
It wasn’t until I worked for three years on my master’s degree, and completed it, that I realized how true this quote is. I worked on weekly assignment after weekly assignment for three years. I took the first step and then I developed a habit of working on homework every week until I completed what I started.
Finally, the day came for me to walk across the stage and receive my master’s degree. What a blessing. What a wonderful feeling of accomplishment. How thankful I was on that day that I had taken the first step three years earlier. I was thankful that I had developed good study habits.
So it is with any important goal in our life. We feel motivated toward achieving something in our life. We resolve to take the first step toward that goal, but we must not forget the habit of doing something small each day to propel us in that direction. We must nurture that goal…..water it and fertilize it…and eventually it will come to fruition.
When you think about what you spend your time on each day, are you propelling yourself toward goals you have set for yourself? Or are you just floating like a cork in water with no direction? Are you just wishing that better things will happen for you someday?
No matter your age, goal setting is imperative, if we expect results. It may take a while to complete a goal, but habits will get you there.
Maybe you want to eat healthier, exercise a little each day, restore a relationship, continue your education, develop a necessary skill so you can excel in your work, learn to cook, save some money, read through your Bible, journal every day, do some home improvement projects, start a business, be promoted, take some trips in the future and the list can go on and on.
Start today (don’t wait until the new year) to set some goals for yourself and begin the habits that will get you where you want to be.
Remember habits are just tiny, consistent steps.