Leverage

Being a cowboy when I was a kid was hard work. We were often moving heavy things. Thank goodness we always had a strong helper. My dad called him Archimedes. It was a strong iron bar we kept in the back of the pickup. Archimedes was the great Greek mathematician who said, “Give me a place to stand and I can move the world.” He was referencing the power of levers. Even as a kid, that iron bar, well placed, made me able to do things that otherwise would have been impossible.

In his book Atomic Habits, James Clear writes about the benefits of good habits and how to develop them. He explains that habits almost always outlast motivation. However, he talks about motivation in his book. Motivation can be used for preparation that makes good habits possible. Habits need to be made obvious, attractive, easy, and satisfying. Willpower by itself is seldom enough to establish new habits. It needs the leverage of preparation while motivation is still strong.

There is no doubt that habits are powerful, especially of the mind. On the ranch a well placed lever and a little effort could move heavy things. The benefits of inspired preparation to develop new habits can last a lifetime. That relatively small effort has been multiplied many fold, just like me pressing on a lever. Nothing more complicated than perception.

May you have enough today, one moment at a time.

Let your vagus nerve help.