What To Do If You Slip Up On Your Goals
Published February 15, 2023 by Sabah V.
I have just finished reading atomic habits by James Clear, and I have to admit it is one of my favorite books I’ve ever read – you should definitely do yourself a favor and read it. But, I’d like to highlight one of the most critical ideas from the beginning of the book here.
Goals vs Systems
In Atomic Habits, James Clear spends the first chapter talking about how it is less about the goals you set but more so the systems that you put in place to reach those goals. Anyone can have the goal of becoming an athlete for an example, but the person who has a system in place to train consistently, eat well, and put themselves out there is going to have a much higher chance of reaching that goal.
James Clear states that many people fail to continue following their system. It is easy to get a burst of energy and decide that you are in shape and go to the gym a couple times in a week. But, the hard part is maintaining that system and not letting it fail over time.
He states, the best way to maintain that system is to shift your identity. If you believe you are a bodybuilder/athlete, you will go to the gym more because it is your identity. If you view yourself as a lazy slob, you are going to have a harder time staying consistent in the gym as it does not align with who you believe you are.
Voting System
He states, that your identity is formed by your actions as well. So each time you go to the gym, you are giving one vote to having an identity of someone who is physically active, versus every time you decide to stay home instead of working out, you are giving one vote to being someone who is not physically active. In saying that, he stated this quote which I found to be pretty amazing:
“The good news is that you don’t need to be perfect. In any election, there are going to be votes for both sides. You don’t need a unanimous vote to win an election; you just need a majority.”
– James Clear
This is an amazing quote. Seriously, take a picture of this and hold onto it. Nobody is perfect, we all are more tired some days and less motivated other days. It doesn’t mean that if we fail to stay consistent once or twice that we will never achieve great things. It is just about which side the scale tips towards that really means all the difference.
Be easy to yourself. Show yourself that you can achieve anything you want. Work hard for it and stay true.