Build Meaningful, Sustainable Habits | James Clear

James Clear (0:00)

Progress and improvement are much more about trajectory than position.

We talk a lot about position in life. What is the number on the scale? What is the number on the bank account? Where am I currently standing? Am I in first place or am I in seventh place? But this argument is much more about trajectory. It's like actually, if you have a positive trajectory, if you're moving up and to the right, if you're getting 1% better each day, all you need is patience.

If you have good habits, your time is your ally. All you need is for time to keep working for you. But if you have bad habits, you're getting 1% worse each day or you're staying stuck in neutral, time becomes your enemy. Every day that clicks by, you dig the hole a little bit deeper. And so it's much more about mastering your trajectory than your position. It's much more about getting 1% better than trying to have some magical outcome on day one.

Michael Gervais (1:01)

Okay, welcome back, or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I'm Michael Gervais, and by trade and training, I am a sport and performance psychologist. And the whole idea behind these conversations is to learn from people who are on the path of mastery, to better understand what they're searching for, how they organize their inner life, their psychological framework, if you will.

We want to understand how did they use their mind to become their very best, and possibly even master the skill that they've dedicated their life efforts to work.

I want to take a minute here to announce a really exciting event that we have coming up. As you continue to navigate the challenges and opportunities of 2024, I want to pose a question. What are you doing right now to be great with stress? How are you working with stress on your pursuit towards your most important ambitions and goals? And I just want to get right to the heart of the key elements, one in particular, for what it takes to excel in today's high heat, high stakes world. Because stress is not the problem that we think it is. Stress is a synonym for change. And our ability to be agile with change, that is the real opportunity at hand. So if you're wanting to unlock extraordinary results and sustainable performance in your life, it's not about avoiding or reducing stress. And as simple as that sounds, it's very tricky to do, but it is about fundamentally changing your relationship with it. And that's why I'm so thrilled to invite you to a special event. It's a free virtual event that we're offering, and it's called the Power of Embracing Stress. It's on Wednesday, March 6th at 2 p.m. Pacific. So to sign up, just head over to findingmastery.com/training, whether it's advancing in your career or improving your health or cultivating stronger relationships, I think a new approach to stress can be one of the most powerful unlocks for you in your life. So join us for this free virtual training, The Power of Embracing Stress, on Wednesday, March 6th at 2 p.m. Pacific. Go to findingmastery.com/training to sign up. Once again, that's findingmastery.com/training, and I'm really excited to see you there.

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Now, this week's conversation is with James Clear, a writer and speaker who's focused on habits, decision-making and continuous improvement. He's the author of the New York Times bestseller Atomic Habits, such a good name, and his work has appeared in Entrepreneur Magazine, Time Magazine, New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CBS This Morning. And you can punch over to his website, jamesclear.com, to learn more. He receives millions of visitors each month and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his popular email newsletter. So why do habits matter?