Embracing Small Habits To Impact Who You Want to Become ft. James Clear

Making a change in our lives can feel like a big, all encompassing thing; and sometimes we avoid change because of that very notion. But here’s some good news: making meaningful change in our lives actually starts with one small choice at a time, and it doesn’t have to be overwhelming or hard. This week, we’ve got the inside scoop on how to form habits that you actually want to stick with and someone who is going to let us in on the simple secrets to real and lasting change. James Clear is the bestselling author of “Atomic Habits.” His approach to building sustainable habits has resonated with millions, helping people make positive changes and reach their full potential. 

In this conversation, James shares personal stories and scientific principles to empower journeys of growth and transformation. Jen even shares her personal experience of choosing one small habit to do each day in the wake of her seismic divorce and how that choice radically affected the trajectory of her recovery. 

Jen and James explore: 

• How to embrace a 1% improvement mindset - small, incremental changes compound over time and lead to meaningful results.
• The willingness to try different approaches and habits until you find what works for you
• Why we’ll be set up for success in the long run by having a toolbox of different strategies instead of adhering to specific “must-have” habits
• The importance of focusing on your identity and becoming the type of person you want to be, rather than just setting goals.

No matter where you are in life —you have it within you to make meaningful and practical changes in your life.

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Thought-Provoking Quotes:

“There was a time in my life when I was forced to start small. So I was trying to find little wins; just something I could look at and be like 'Today was a good day.' I think that mindset ended up really helping me in later life." - James Clear

"The whole world is going to emphasize your position and where you are. What I'm trying to emphasize is, "Are you getting 1% better? 1% worse? Is the arrow pointing up to the right, even if it's just a little bit? Or have you flatlined?" Because if you're on a good trajectory, all you need is time. All you need is patience. Time will magnify whatever you feed it." - James Clear

“There is no one way to build better habits. There are many ways. My job is not to tell you how to do it. My job is to lay all the tools out on the table, rather than trying to tell you this is the way to build habits.” - James Clear

“It's very easy, once you're listening to a conversation about habits or thinking about your own habits, to bite off more than you can chew, or start getting pulled in ten directions and be like; 'I'm going to change all ten of these things.' I think one good thing to remind yourself of is this energy will naturally extend into other areas of your life. So maybe take just one of those ten things and try to really master that.” - James Clear

"There's this common advice that if something doesn't work, you should try, try, try again and I think the better advice is if something doesn't work, you should try, try, try differently." - James Clear

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Atomic Habits by James Clear: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits

James Clear’s 3-2-1 Newsletter - https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1

Guest’s Links:

James Clear’s Website - https://jamesclear.com/

James Clear’s Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jamesclear/

James Clear’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/JamesClear

James Clear’s Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jamesclear/

Connect with Jen!

Jen’s website - https://jenhatmaker.com/

Jen’s Instagram - https://instagram.com/jenhatmaker

Jen’s Twitter - https://twitter.com/jenHatmaker/

Jen’s Facebook - https://facebook.com/jenhatmaker

Jen’s YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JenHatmaker

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