In Good Habits, Bad Habits, Wendy Wood describes a scenario familiar to many at one time or another: You try hard, want something very much, and in the end, you fall short of your goal.
Many will say it is for lack of willpower if only because willpower is snake oil we promote to one another as the secret ingredient to success.
But willpower is a muscle that gives out quickly and can never carry you to the finish line—an inefficient mechanism.
Imagine sprinting in a long-distance race. At first, you may feel the rush of success, but then at some point, you will gas, and the long-distance runners will pass you up effortlessly. They say the biomechanics involved in sprinting are different from those in long-distance running. For example, to run the long-distance, you may need to shorten your stride and replace "fast-twitch" fibers with "slow-twitch" fibers.
Success is a long-distance effort, not a sprint, and so it requires long game strategies.
According to Wendy Wood, it is the development of habits that unconsciously push you towards your goal. All it requires is a conscious understanding of your goals and what patterns will get you there.
Make a list of your goals and identify the habits that work toward those goals. After building your list, change your focus from the destination to the habit system you've created.
James Clear writes in Atomic Habits,
