Imagine a stonecutter relentlessly hammers at his rock, striking it perhaps a hundred times without any sign of a fracture appearing. However, upon delivering the hundred and first blow, the rock astonishingly splits in two. It's evident that it was not that last blow that did it -but all that had gone before!If you are struggling to make a good habit or struggling to break a bad one, it because you not yet crossed plateau of latent potential.Breakthrough moments are often the result of many previous actions, which build up the potential required to unleash a major a change.

Plateau of latent potential

Energy is precious and in the brain is wired to conserve it whenever possible. It is human nature to follow the Law of Least Effort, which states that when deciding between two similar options, people will naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work.

Why We Choose To Be Lazy And Do What Is Convenient?

"He who has a why a to live for can bear almost any how." If your motivation and desire are great enough (that is, why are you are acting), you'll take action even when it is quite difficult. Great craving can power great action -even when friction is high”

This pattern shows up everywhere. <ul><li>Cancer spends 80 percent of its life undetectable, then takes over the body in months. </li><li>Bamboo can barely be seen for the first five years as it builds extensive root systems underground before exploding ninety feet into the air within six weeks.</li></ul>Similarly, habits often appears to make no difference until you cross a critical threshold. The most powerful outcomes are delayed. If you can get a one percent better each day for one year, you'll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you're done.

The process of behavior change always starts with awareness. You need to be aware of your habits before you can change them.Pointing-and-Calling raises your level of awareness from a nonconscious habit to a more conscious level by verbalizing your actions.<ul><li>Make a list of daily habits and rate by Good Habit (+), Bad Habit (-), Neutral Habit (=). Try to stop bad habits. We have to do this because we are unaware of our daily habits if we don’t write it down. We do habits subconsciously.</li><li>Every time you choose to perform a bad habit, it's a vote for that identity.</li></ul>

How To Stop Bad Habits?

The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right. If you hit the Goldilocks and just right, you can achieve a flow state everytime easily.

Reliable Approch To Acheive Flow State Easily

In any election, there are going to be votes for both sides. You don't need a unanimous vote to win an election; you just need a majority. It doesn't matter if you cast a few votes for a bad behavior or an unproductive habit. Your goal is simply to win the majority of the time.For example, It's okay if you couldn't wake up at 6 am sometimes, you have to make sure that you wake up at the majority of times (around 90% of times).Inorder to make a meaningful difference, habits need to persist long enough to break through this plateau- Plateau of latent potential.

Don’t stress if you miss the habit some days

Your actions reveal how badly you want something. If you keep saying something is a priority but you never act on it, then you don't really want it. It's time to have an honest conversation with yourself. Your actions reveal your true motivations.

Look At your Actions To Identify What You Really Want

Success is the product of daily habits- not once-in-a-lifetime transformations.

Habits are a dopamine-driven feedback loop. Every behavior that is highly habit-forming from most basic habitual behaviors like eating food, drinking water, having sex to taking drugs, playing video games, browsing social media.<ul><li>The habit formation is depend on the frequency of the action, not days</li><li>When you start a new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.</li><li>Human brain is looking for instant rewards, so make sure your habits are satisfying in the short term</li><li>Never miss twice. If you miss one day, try to get back on track as quickly as possible.</li><li>Use Habit Trackers</li></ul>

How To Build Good Habits?

We all have goals that we would like to achieve and dreams that we would like to fulfill, but it doesn't matter what you are trying become better at, if you only do the work when it's to convenient or exciting, then you'll never be consistent enough to achieve remarkable results.

Be A Professional Rather Than Staying Ameture

The secret to getting results that last is to never stop making improvements. It's remarkable what you can build if you just don't stop. It's remarkable the business you can build if you don't stop working. It's remarkable the body you can build if you don't stop training. It's remarkable the knowledge you can build if you don't stop learning. It's remarkable the fortune you can build if you don't stop saving. It's remarkable the friendships you can build if you don't stop caring. That's the power of atomic habits. Tiny changes. Remarkable results.”

Small habits don't add up. They compound. 

”The Diderot Effect states that obtaining a new possession often creates a spiral of consumption that leads to additional purchases. “ You can spot this pattern everywhere. You buy a dress and have to get new shoes and earrings to match. You buy a couch and suddenly question the layout of your entire living room.

Your brain has far more neural circuitry allocated for wanting rewards than for liking them. The wanting centers in the brain are large than liking centers of the brain. They are often referred to as "hedonic hot spots" , distributed like tiny islands throughout the brain. For instance, researchers have found that 100 percent of the nucleus accumbens is activated during wanting. Meanwhile, only 10 percent of the structure is activated during liking. That’s why we are more excited before getting something than actually getting it. Like buying an iphone or car.

Why We Are More Excited Before Getting Than Actually Getting It?

The consequences of bad habits are delayed while the reward are immediate. Smoking might kill you in ten years, but it reduces stress and eases your nicotine cravings now. Overeating is harmful ur action in the long run but appetizing in the moment.

Why We Fall Into Bad Habits Easily?

The habit formation is depend on the frequency of the action, not days. You should ask ‘how many repetitions are required to make a habit automatic?’ Instead of asking ‘how many days it takes to build a habit’.You often decide what to do next is based on what you just finished doing. Each action becomes a cue to trigger the next behaviour. One of the best ways to build a new habit is to identify a current habit you already do each day and then stack your new behavior on top. This is called habit stacking.The habit stacking formula is: "After [CURRENT HABIT], I will [NEW HABIT]."

How long does it take to build a new habit?

The best book written on building habits and breaking bad habits.

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 10 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: <ul><li>make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);</li></ul><ul><li>overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;</li></ul><ul><li>design your environment to make success easier;</li></ul><ul><li>get back on track when you fall off course;</li></ul>...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

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James Clear is the author of "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" He writes about habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement at jamesclear.com. His website receives millions of visitors each month and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his popular email newsletter.His work has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Time, and on CBS This Morning. He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work is used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Learn more at jamesclear.com

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Cardinal Rule of Behavior Change