Habits: Building the Foundation for a Better You

🌱

This week’s:

• Affirmation: I build my future with the habits I choose today. Each small, intentional action leads me closer to becoming the best version of myself.

• Quote: We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit – Will Durant

Habits: Building the Foundation for a Better You

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” These famous words from Will Durant capture the essence of why habits matter. They form the invisible architecture of our lives, shaping who we are and who we will become. But creating better habits—and breaking free from unhelpful ones—requires understanding their mechanics, their impact, and how to intentionally design them.

What Are Habits?

Habits are automatic behaviours we perform in response to specific cues in our environment. Psychologist Jason Hreha defines habits as “reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment.” They are mental shortcuts that reduce cognitive effort, freeing up the mental capacity for creativity and focus.

Think about how you automatically brush your teeth in the morning or check your phone without a second thought—these are habits at work. When repeated enough, a behaviour moves from a conscious effort to autopilot, making habits both powerful allies and dangerous traps.

The Science of Habit Formation

Habits form through repetition and reinforcement. Each time you repeat a behaviour, it strengthens neural pathways in your brain, making the action more automatic over time. According to James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, the habit loop consists of three parts:

1. Cue: A trigger that initiates the habit (e.g., waking up signals your brain to check your phone).

2. Routine: The behaviour itself.

3. Reward: The benefit you gain, which reinforces the habit.

Malcolm Gladwell’s concept of the 10,000-hour rule, popularised in his book Outliers, suggests that mastery is achieved through deliberate practice over time. Similarly, building lasting habits requires consistent, intentional effort.

---

---

Why Habits Matter

Habits allow us to function efficiently by automating repetitive tasks. But their influence goes deeper. Carl Jung famously said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate.” Habits operate in this unconscious realm, shaping our identity and our future. To create a life aligned with your aspirations, you must consciously examine and design your habits.

Ask yourself: Is this habit serving the person I want to become?

Short-term convenience doesn’t always align with long-term goals.

The Benefits of Good Habits

Good habits compound over time, much like interest on an investment. Consider the following:

• Freeing Mental Energy: Automating healthy habits (e.g., exercising, eating well) creates space for higher-level thinking and creativity.

• Long-Term Payoff: Small daily actions lead to significant outcomes over time. For example, reading for just 20 minutes daily can transform your knowledge base within a year.

• Identity Transformation: Consistently showing up for your habits rewires your brain and reshapes how you view yourself. Every time you act on a habit, you reinforce your identity.

Breaking Old Patterns

Before you can build new habits, you must become aware of old ones. Habits often persist because they provide immediate gratification, even when they aren’t beneficial in the long term.

Breaking a bad habit starts with identifying its cue and reward. For example:

1. Cue: Stress at work triggers you to snack on unhealthy foods.

2. Reward: The snack provides a temporary dopamine hit.

To replace the habit, you need to:

1. Interrupt the Cue: Recognise the trigger and pause before acting.

2. Introduce a New Routine: Replace the behaviour with something healthier, like taking a short walk or drinking water.

3. Ensure a Reward: Make the replacement behaviour satisfying—perhaps by celebrating your success.

Building Better Habits

Here are actionable steps to create habits that align with your goals:

• Start Small: Big changes can feel overwhelming. Instead, focus on improving by 1% daily. This small, consistent effort can lead to exponential growth.

• Anchor New Habits: Attach new habits to existing ones. For example, “After I brush my teeth, I’ll meditate for 1 minute.”

• Track Your Progress: Keeping a visual record (like a habit tracker) can motivate you to stay consistent.

• Plan for Setbacks: Accept that you might fail occasionally, but don’t let one misstep derail your progress. Remember, habits are about consistency, not perfection.

• Reflect and Adjust: Periodically evaluate your habits to ensure they still align with your goals.

Long-Term Perspective

Habits are a long game. Even when they feel small or insignificant, they accumulate over time. The “reverse clause” emphasizes calmly accepting outcomes beyond your control while doing your best within your sphere of influence. This mindset is essential for long-term success.

Consider an airplane: A small adjustment to its flight path may seem trivial, but over thousands of miles, it can lead to a completely different destination. Similarly, small habits may not seem transformative at first, but over months and years, they can redefine your life.

Questions for Reflection

As you examine your habits, ask yourself:

• Is this habit helping me become the person I want to be?

• How can I simplify the process to make the habit easier to adopt

• What is one small habit I can start today that will have a significant impact over time?

Inspiration to Keep Going

Even small habits require persistence. As Durant reminds us, excellence is not a one-time act but a commitment to consistency. When things get challenging, remember the words of Carl Jung: “You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do.”

By designing your habits intentionally, you can align your daily actions with your long-term vision, creating a life of purpose, productivity, and fulfilment.

Habits are the invisible threads weaving together the tapestry of your life. By becoming conscious of your actions and designing habits that serve your goals, you can unlock your full potential. Remember, it’s not about drastic transformations overnight—it’s about showing up, day after day, for the small actions that will ultimately lead to greatness.

Start small, stay consistent, and trust in the power of habits. The future you dream of is built one habit at a time.

---

ICYMI

Beauty

• Crown Affair Closes $9 Million Series B Round led by True Beauty Ventures. (BoF)

• Drybar owner Helen of Troy acquires nail care brand Olive & June. (Yahoo Finance)

• Clean Skin Club’s Face Towel raises $32 million. (BoF)

Fashion

• Wrangler and Lee Jeans Maker’s Plan for Growth: Sell More to Women. (WSJ)

• Isabel Marant’s bonds dive after sales slump. (Yahoo Finance)

• Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri to show cruise in Rome. (BoF)

• Abercrombie & Fitch raises full-year guidance on strong Q3. (WSJ)

VC and Start ups

• Mariam Naficy is behind Arcade AI, which turns AI designs into jewelry with goals of becoming a broader marketplace. (Fortune)

• Sarah Kunst’s Cleo Capital launches cybersecurity accelerator to help undo the ‘crushing burden’ of online threats. (TechCrunch)

Other

• Inside Alex Cooper’s $125 million deal to grow her multimedia empire. (Forbes)

• Of the 3,323 billionaires in the world, 13% (or 431) of them are women. (CNBC)

---

Thank you so much for reading Thrive Sheet. I would love to hear from you—reply to this email or connect with me on social media; Instagram; TikTok; Twitter; LinkedIn.