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Elite producers have powerful habits

By Marc Beauchamp exact. Of course, this can vary by person and individual
Bankcard Life circumstances. But the old idea that it takes 21 days to
form a new habit was shattered.
abit creation is a hot topic—and for good
reason. We constantly run habits whether Researchers also discovered that "missing one opportunity
consciously or not. In fact, Duke University to perform the behavior did not materially affect the habit
H stated that habits account for about 40 percent formation process." So you can mess up every now and
of our day-to-day behaviors. Aristotle nailed it when he then.
said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is All-in commitment
not an act, but a habit."
Positive habits enable you to keep your commitments, and
The things you do repeatedly—not what you're thinking commitments convey dedication to a cause. When you're
about doing, but what you actually do—form the person working through your daily targets and morning ritual,
that you are, from diet and exercise to personality and you must know what you are committed to achieving.
beliefs. As leadership expert John C. Maxwell stated, Not what you think others want you to commit to, not
"Ultimately, people do not decide their future; they decide what your parents or tribe told you to be committed to,
their habits and their habits decide their future." but what you truly want to commit to.

The goal in forming habits that support you is to reach a What do you want for your life? What can you really take
state of automaticity. While there has been much debate a stand for? Not what you'll try to do or intend to do, but
about the amount of time it takes to form a new habit, what you'll really commit to.
recent research from the University College of London
has helped illuminate how long it takes to reach the level Here's an example of an all-in commitment. The "Marathon
of automaticity. Monks" of Japan are known for their commitment to

Revelatory research completing the kaihōgyō (circling the mountain). It's an
ascetic practice performed by Tendai Buddhist monks. It
The study examined the habits of 96 people over a 12- requires them to walk a route on Mount Hiei, the longest
week period. Each person chose one new habit for the of which takes 1,000 days to complete. The solo walking
period and reported daily on whether they performed the mediations are broken into 100-day hikes over the course
behavior and how automatic it felt. of seven years.

Some people chose simple habits like drinking a bottle In the first 100 days, withdrawal from the challenge is
of water with lunch. Others chose more challenging possible, but from day 101 onward a monk is no longer
tasks like running for 15 minutes before dinner. After 12 allowed to withdraw; historically, he must complete the
weeks, the data revealed that it took, on average, more course or take his own life. Now that is commitment.
than two months to create a new behavior—66 days to be
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