Fly on the E-Commerce Cyberwall

Making progress a habit
One of the biggest things that gets in the way of progressing toward success is that we don't do the things we don't want to do. Those things that we don't want to do are usually the things that are unfamiliar, the things that take us out of our safe and familiar world. Yet when you're trying to get somewhere you've never been before, crossing into unfamiliar territory is unavoidable.

Avoiding the unfamiliar, the tasks we don't know how they'll turn out, is a habit that often holds us back. And habits are hard to break. So how do you get past that habit of avoiding the unfamiliar and do those tasks? You make doing what you don't want to do a habit.

I'm not saying that we should take a martyr-like attitude of punishing ourselves by always doing whatever we least want to do. Just pick out the tasks that will give you the greatest boost toward where you want to end up and do them. Look past the momentary discomfort that launching into unfamiliar territory brings and see those unfamiliar tasks for what they are, necessary steps toward your goal. Looking toward that desireable goal instead of just at the undesireable task can get past that hump that holds us back from starting.

Getting over that hump the first time is hard. But when you complete what you ordinarily would have avoided, and see yourself another step closer to your goal—that's sweet. And each time you feel that satisfaction of overcoming your own reluctance and moving yourself closer to your goal, the easier it becomes to start the next unfamiliar task. And before long, doing what you don't necessarily want to do but know you need to do to reach your goal has become... a habit. And you know how hard habits are to break.
Jeff