When will I see the results of my habits?

"Fall in love with the process and the results will come."

Anonymous

To begin with, who we are at this very moment is the result of our habits over the years. In positive and in negative.

Despite having achieved many positive things and having accomplished many goals, I still have many to fulfil. And I imagine the same thing happens to everyone.

Many times we tend to compare ourselves to others. It is good to see what another person has realized and have it as an example to follow, but when we compare ourselves we lose the focus of attention: US. Let’s not compare ourselves with the neighbor. Let’s compare ourselves with ourselves … if today we are better than we were yesterday, we have done something right. And if not, every moment is an opportunity to work on being better. Better in all areas of life. Some time ago I heard this phrase: never settle for less than you can be. Love it.

To improve yourself, to be the best you can be, there are no shortcuts. In no area of life. It is important to commit to yourself and take action. One step at a time. With small steps, great results can be achieved. And it is important to be patient, because many times the results are not seen immediately. There are two examples that can help us understand the progress through our actions.

I found the first one in the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. In the example he suggests imagining an ice cube on a table in front of us. The room where we are is cold, at -4ºC. Then we begin to increase the temperature of the room. At -3ºC the ice cube remains the same. At -2ºC the cube does not change. At -1ºC nothing happens yet. At 0ºC, the cube begins to melt. He says that a change of 1ºC has caused a big change, even though the previous changes of 1ºC had not. Clear comments that decisive moments are often the result of many previous actions that add up and create the potential necessary to bring about a big change. I love this example because it makes the idea perfectly understandable. How many times did I work on things and did not see the results! How many times I didn’t realize that I was already creating a potential but had not reached the critical point to see the result!

Another example that can explain the above is when a seed is planted in the ground. We can pour water on it, it can be exposed to sunlight, we can put compost on the ground, but for a while we don’t see anything on the surface. Meanwhile, underground, the seed begins to form roots in order to incorporate more nutrients and have a more solid base. If one continues to water the seed, letting the sunlight reach it and allowing an ideal environment to be created, there comes a time when a small plant suddenly sprouts. What a thrill! At first it may be very fragile, but it came to light after completing a process that was not obvious to the eyes. If the plant continues to be cared for, in time it can become a large tree.

The message is that if you take action one step at a time in the right direction, no matter how small it is, the sum of those steps over time will reach a critical point in which the results become evident. They can be losing weight, body building, feeling happier and more serene, playing an instrument, speaking a new language, doing a better job… whatever.

When will I see the result of my habits? At the right time.

Go for it!

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Quote suggested by reader:

"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra."

Jimmy Johnson