Why can some people succeed at making lifestyle changes where so many others simply give up?

Those who succeed when taking on new tasks, trying to make new habits, or learning new subjects, pause after each milestone successfully completed to enjoy their success up to that particular moment in time. Then, while they are in the zone, that is, while they are enjoying the positive experience following the completion of their activity or study session, they make a very firm, very strong self-promise to do it again the next day or next period of time. The next day, or next period, whether because they are disciplined enough or feel guilty enough, they keep those promises that they made to themselves.

That’s it. The following steps are all that is needed to succeed at just about anything:

  1. Start TODAY to do it, no matter how poorly you do it at first.
  2. When you reach today’s endpoint, spend a few seconds to enjoy what you accomplished. If it is exercise, enjoy the relaxed and pleasant feeling following your exercise. If learning a new dance routine, martial arts routine, or any other physical skill, when you finish your “workout” for today, pause to relish the “moment”, so to say.
  3. Before you move from that spot, make a solemn PROMISE to YOURSELF that you will do it again for the next period of time.  That promise, though, will be impotent unless you attach to it valid and powerful reasons for doing it that are powerfully motivating. Here are some examples of  “I promise to do this again, because….:
    • By setting aside 10% of my income from each paycheck, just like I did this paycheck, I will become one of the 1%-ers by the time I am 30 years old.
    • Tomorrow, by studying 5 pages from this computer programmer’s coding manual, just like I did today, I’ll be an expert within 2 years and will be able to get a promotion.
    • If I go for a brisk walk again tomorrow, I will keep my heart and legs strong enough to travel.
    • By following today’s diet, I feel so much better. By sticking to this diet again tomorrow, I will not only feel much better but will look better and be much more attractive to a potential future soul mate.
  4. When tomorrow comes, keep your self-promise to yourself. Do the task, as you promised yourself.
  5. Repeat the above steps.