Make it a Habit to Swim Upstream
In the previous post, “Elephant’s Don’t Bite” I explain how your life is ultimately dictated based upon the choices you make which in turn creates a habit.
Whatever choice you made in life is the direct result of your current financial status, size of your pants, your relationship status, and overall happiness.
Many of us want our lives to be better but we are already comfortable (or have just accepted) where we are in our lives.
Definition of insanity:
Doing the same things you’ve always done and expecting different results.
Now I know you are not insane so it all begins with the choices you choose from now on that will dictate what type of life you want to live. So now the big question you are asking is, “How do I know what the right choices are?”
Here is a simple formula I learned from Darren Hardy (the publisher of Success magazine):
When in doubt, choose the harder task or what you don’t want to do – that’s usually exactly what you should do. Take the path of MOST resistance to create a positive habit.
Many of you are probably thinking (like I was thinking) why would I want to do that? But let’s put it this way: If you are disappointed in where you are in life right now, whatever choices you have been making aren’t working. So maybe you should change some choices you are making now. Remember the definition of insanity?
You and your brain are creatures of habit.
It is easy enough to talk yourself into taking the comfortable and easy route. Just like a rushing river, these bad habits will wash you back downstream in the wrong direction. The only way to change that direction is to retrain those negative habits into positive ones through habitual tendency.
Think of this like climbing a mountain. Someone doesn’t go against gravity and suffer because he knows that it’ll be easy going back down. Usually people tackle climbing a mountain because they know that once at the top they will have accomplished something very few people have dared to try. They also look forward to the view at the top and the feeling of knowing that they took on a challenge and have conquered.
So what I am asking you is to conquer your bad habits and to pursue a path of MOST resistance in order to accomplish your goals.
Here are some examples of low resistance and high resistance choices.
Low Resistance:
- Surrendering to peer pressure
- Starting your new program on “Monday” or tomorrow (instead of today)
- Reacting in anger
- Holding a grudge
- Going along with gossip
- Giving the ‘silent treatment’
- Blaming others
- Making excuses
High Resistance
- Feeling the fear and doing it anyway
- Admitting you were wrong and apologizing
- Going to the gym when you don’t feel like it
- Ordering a salad when that burger is tempting you
- Forgiving someone who wronged you
- Saying no to (yet another) alcoholic drink
- Taking responsibility for your actions
The only way a person grows and learns new experiences is to reach outside of their comfort zone. These experiences are what many people fear but through repetition it becomes a habit and it is no longer uncomfortable. If you want to finally obtain what’s missing from your life you need to start doing stuff you avoid and things that you think are hard.
Make a commitment to do something you fear each day or dedicate yourself to accomplish a task you have been postponing or hate doing. Start off really small like swapping out a meal with a salad or going on a 20 minute jog. I don’t expect you to be a new person overnight, but just make a commitment that you will reach outside of your comfort zone. Fight the tendency. Climb up that mountain. Take the path of most resistance.
I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes by Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
Make a list of the things you avoid but know you should do. Once you have written them down, declare it and take action. What three things do you NOT want to do, but you will commit to doing today? Let us know in the comments below!
See you at the top,
Jus10
PS - Click here for the original article and other useful success tips.


