“Tiny is mighty.
At least when it comes to change.
Over the last twenty years, I’ve found that most everyone wants to make some kind of change: eat healthier, lose weight, exercise more, reduce stress, get better sleep. We want to be better parents and partners. We want to be more productive and creative. But the alarming levels of obesity, sleeplessness, and stress reported by the media—and seen in my Stanford lab’s research—tell me there is a painful gap between what people want and what they actually do. The disconnect between want and do has been blamed on a lot of things—but people blame it on themselves for the most part. They internalize the cultural message of ‘It’s your fault! You should exercise more, but you aren’t doing it. Shame on you!’
I am here to say. It isn’t your fault.
And creating positive change isn’t as hard as you think.”
~ BJ Fogg, Ph.D from Tiny Habits
BJ Fogg founded the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University. He is one of the world’s leading authorities on the science of behavior change and has deeply influenced how we think about habit change—on both a product development level and a personal level.
In this book, he introduces us to the core elements of his Fogg Behavior Model as we learn that habit change doesn’t need to be as hard as we make it. As BJ tells us: “We are not the problem. Our approach to change is. It’s a design flaw—not a personal flaw.”
A couple other gems to keep in mind: “If there’s one concept from my book I hope you embrace, it’s this: People change best by feeling good, not by feeling bad.” And: “The essence of Tiny Habits is this: Take a behavior you want, make it tiny, find where it fits naturally in your life, and nurture its growth. If you want to create long-term change, it’s best to start small.”
If you’re looking to Optimize your ability to create habits that stick, I think you’ll LOVE the book. BJ is THE academic authority on the subject. (Get a copy here.) For the record, I’d say this book, James Clear’s Atomic Habits and Stephen Guise’s Mini Habits are the Top 3 most practical books on the subject. (With Superhuman by Habit tied for that third slot. :)
And, as this is one of my favorite subjects, we have a few 101s you might enjoy including: Habits 101, Willpower 101 and Algorithms 101. Plus, check out the Algorithms module in our Mastery Series where we help you move from Theory to Practice Mastery as we use our willpower wisely to install habits that run on autopilot.
The book is PACKED with Big Ideas (as in: RIDICULOUSLY packed!) .
We’ll barely scratch the surface of all the wisdom BJ shares but I’m excited to share a few of my favorite Ideas we can apply to our lives TODAY so let’s jump straight in!
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