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We don’t choose our earliest habits, we imitate them.

James Clear

Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death.
JAMES CLEAR

Born Death Discipline Man Soft
You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it.
JAMES CLEAR

Architect Choice Environment Inspirational Job Victim Yourself
If you want better results, then forget about setting goals. Focus on your system instead.
JAMES CLEAR

Better Goal Improvement Result System Yourself
Research has shown that once a person believes in a particular aspect of their identity, they are more likely to act in alignment with that belief.
JAMES CLEAR

Act Belief Believe Identity Person Research
Perseverance, grit, and willpower are essential to success, but the way to improve these qualities is not by wishing you were a more disciplined person, but by creating a more disciplined environment.
JAMES CLEAR

Creation Discipline Environment Perseverance Person Success Willing
Put another way, the costs of your good habits are in the present. The costs of your bad habits are in the future.
JAMES CLEAR

Bad Cost Future Goodness Habit Present
Being specific about what you want and how you will achieve it helps you say no to things that derail progress, distract your attention, and pull you off course.
JAMES CLEAR

Achievement Attention Course Distract Help Specific Yourself
But perhaps the best way to measure your progress is with a habit tracker.
JAMES CLEAR

Best Habit Measurement Progress Way
Once your pride gets involved, you’ll fight tooth and nail to maintain your habits.
JAMES CLEAR

Fight Habit Maintain Pride Yourself
With outcome-based habits, the focus is on what you want to achieve. With identity-based habits, the focus is on who you wish to become.
JAMES CLEAR

Achievement Focus Habit Identity Result
We imitate the habits of three groups in particular: The close. The many. The powerful.
JAMES CLEAR

Group Habit Imitation Myself Particular Powerful
The problem with a goals-first mentality is that you’re continually putting happiness off until the next milestone.
JAMES CLEAR

Goal Happiness Mentality Problem Yourself
Be the designer of your world and not merely the consumer of it.
JAMES CLEAR

Consumption Design World Yourself
Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.
JAMES CLEAR

Action Person Type Vote Yourself
A lack of self-awareness is poison. Reflection and review is the antidote.
JAMES CLEAR

Aware Cure Poison Reflection
You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.
JAMES CLEAR

Fall Goal Level Rise System Yourself

We don’t choose our earliest habits, we imitate them.

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We don’t choose our earliest habits, we imitate them.

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