Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going

[James]

Dreaming and setting huge goals is a great activity. 

I have met a lot of people with big dreams and huge desires but are unable to get what they want. 

They try to motivate themselves but have trouble with the next step.

There are so many different ways we can use motivation (self-talk) to get us going but at some point you have to get going. 

Work must be put in to go from point A to point B. 

Now if your goal is large of course you are not going to get all this work done in a day, or a week, or a month, or a year. Building great things can take a very long time. Sometimes it can take a lifetime. 

This is why habit is so important. 

According to healthline.com it can take 18 to 254 days to form a new habit. 

This make discipline and consistency extremely important. 

We must get in the habit of consistently taking action which takes discipline and accountability. 

If you want to get better at something you need to do that something more. 

Since we all have limited time it may be hard to decided how much is right. That is totally up to you and how much you want what you are going for. The more time put in will speed up results over time. 

Consistency (how often you do said activity) is the most important thing. 

Duration (how long you do said activity) is the second most important thing.

Intensity (how hard we work to do said activity) is the third most important thing.

So really its as easy as just getting started. Set aside 30 minutes a day every day of the week to work towards your goal. That is what you are going to do during that time. Continue to do that until its a habit and you never stop. As you hit plateaus you are going to have to increase duration or intensity to break through to the next level. 

The more habits you form in this way you will have a lot of winning moments in your life which will improve self confidence. 

How do you help yourself form new habits?  

[Mila]

I remember hearing the average for a new habit to stick was 4 weeks which would be 28 days. I didn't know it can take up to 254 days! I guess this explains why some people can stick things out after a few weeks and others struggle after a few months. I think you are right though about being consistent and when you reach small goals, you are more likely to adopt better habits that will assist you on future goals. 

[Stacey]

Same for me, I didn't know that it could take people that long to form a habit. I feel less ashamed for not reaching goals because I felt it was too hard to stick to something in the past. I agree about creating habits from motivation. I remember a friend of mine, when she lost a lot of weight, she said the motivation got her started and as she reached small goals and made small changes as she went, the results and habits kept her on track.

[Scarlett]

Habit forming is something people often overlook and forget about. It is really one of the biggest factors if not the biggest factor in achieving success. This can be with health and weigh loss goals, work and career goals, or just bettering your skills in general in something you enjoy.