"Just Try it for a Day" Philosophy

Recently one of my friends asked me about some of the good habits I implement each day and how I have so much self-discipline.  That made me think back to when some of these habits started and an interesting reality hit me. It wasn't that I was doing anything special or had any grandiose ideas of what I would be able to accomplish with each new habit.  I just had an idea that a particular new habit or hobby might be good to develop and then I started doing it. It led me to recall that a lot of the different things in my life that turned out to provide tremendous value in what I've been able to accomplish were related to one specific mindset that has proven hugely beneficial over the course of time.  And this specific mindset can be summed up in six words "Just Try it for a Day." "Just Try it for a Day" has been a tremendous ground breaking secret for me as it has helped me stop potential addictions or bad habits to certain things, while continually working to develop and shape good habits that have helped me out in life.  There are several reasons this philosophy works:

MOMENTUM IS POWERFUL
The secret to the "Just Try it for a Day" philosophy is that the power of momentum is magical. How often did you start a new habit and, at first, it was super hard?  You had to almost battle each day to force yourself to do it, but once you got on a roll for a bit, it became easier and easier.  You start to see a little bit of results from the fruits of your labor and then became even more motivated to work harder. The harder work from this increased motivation then yielded even better and quicker results, which then encouraged you to work even harder, and so forth and so on.  Momentum is a powerful driver that works like a car alternator.  It needs some outside energy to begin working, but once it gets going, it begins to feed itself and keep the battery continuously energized to work as long as needed to reach the destination. Also, just like any car, you may need to replace the battery from time to time when you get into a rut or cannot seem to get over a hump, but that can be solved with another "Just Try it for a Day" commitment that allows you to start/stop another habit that can change the results of your labor. What naturally occurs is the "Just Try it for a Day" turns into "Just Try it for a Week" that turns into "Just Try it for a Month" and so forth and so on until you forgot what life was like before you "tried" it.

SMALL STEPS ARE BETTER THAN NO STEPS
Often in life, when we think about stopping some habit that is making our life difficult or getting away from someone who is toxic to our success in life, we often think about how hard doing this would be because we are so used to this habit or individual in our lives.  We've been doing it for so long that the thought of not having this particular person or thing in our lives seems impossible over the course of our long future. We also do this when we think about starting something new because we think about all the tremendous amount of work and effort we would probably have to put into it to be successful. What many don't realize, however, is that it takes just one small step to put us on the path to this goal to make all the difference. If your goal is to lose 20lbs, don't think about all the tremendous work that this will take. That would be too daunting of a task and depress you. Just focus on what you need to do TODAY to get a little closer to that goal. If it's go to the gym, then just go to the gym TODAY and see how it feels. If it's to eat better, just focus on what you need to eat TODAY to achieve your goal.  Don't worry too much about tomorrow or what you did yesterday, just focus on doing what you need to do on that given day.  If there is someone in your life who you know isn't good for you, just try going without allowing this person to affect your life for one day and get a sense of how you thought it went. Often, many people get so discouraged at how intimidating some new task may be that they end up doing nothing at all and remaining in the same position they were yesterday. By implementing the "Just Try it for a Day" philosophy, you are breaking this dangerous cycle and taking control of your life.

YOU DON'T KNOW YOUR OWN WILLPOWER
Often, people don't think they have it inside of them to have the discipline to do the things it takes to be successful. They will say things like "There's no way I could go without eating sweets" or "I could never be in the gym three days per week."  These thoughts are self-limiting because people don't truly understand the power they have as an individual. Everyone is born with the ability to live a highly-disciplined, successful life, and with the "Just Try it for a Day" philosophy, people will generally realize they can do what they thought they couldn't. Believing in yourself can be hard when thinking about how much effort something will take over the course of years, but not so much when you think about how much it will take for a day.  Many people are much stronger mentally than they think and by implementing the "Just Try it for a Day" philosophy, you are tapping into some of this will power and giving yourself the opportunity to become the person you've always desired.

Our brain is a wonderful thing, as it allows us to analyze the world and make sense of what is going on. What it also does, however, is often allows us to create our own perception of who we are based on how we may perceive ourselves.  The saying of "those who say they can and those who say they can't are both right" relates directly to this perception, as you create your reality. While, admittedly, looking at a new task in the light of what it will take to be successful 5 years down the road can be a bit intimidating, with the "Just Try it for a Day" philosophy, you are only asked to do this for one day to see if you have the wherewithal to stay on course.  That's only 24 hours.  And you can do anything for 24 hours, can't you? Ask Mark Jordan.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech (Graduate in May! - Whoop Whoop!). You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN