Last week, we talked about commitment, and the activities you can undertake to grow your business. I’ll get back to commitment in a moment, but first, I wanted to ask a question.
What do the following phrases have in common?
“Earth is the center of the universe.”
“It takes 21 days to form a habit.”
“The world is flat.”
They’re all myths we used to believe.
Stories we’ve been sold by someone in a position of power.
Stories that were easy to accept because of limited access to information.
Stories that were accepted to gain acceptance.
One of these myths is still widely held, even today (and no, I’m not going to talk about the flat earth movement).
So, does it really take 21 days to form a habit?
Possibly.
A study conducted in 2010 and published in the European Journal of Social Psychology by Phillippa Lally and her team discovered that to form a habit it can take anywhere from 18 – 254 days.
On average it can take 66 days to form a habit. The key here is the phrase “on average.”
Every habit is different, every person is different, and every circumstance is different.
It’s easy to say, “it takes 21 days to form a habit” because it’s inspirational, but you don’t need more inspiration…
You already know what you need to know.
You’ve already done your Miracle Mornings, read your Awaken The Giant, and listened to your favorite Gary Vee podcast.
You don’t need more inspiration in your life.
Act.
If you need more sales in your business in 2018, commit to generating new leads every single day for the next six months.
Want to be known as THE expert in your niche? Start writing thought leadership articles every week for the next year.
Developing a habit is all about repetition. The more you do it, the better you will get. And after 12 months, you’ll be much closer to where you want to be.
Take action. Take a long view. Habits are built over months not days.
I have gotten into the habit of sharing thoughts on building an agency business every week for over a year. Guess what has happened? I have helped hundreds of agency owners grow their businesses!
Share your thoughts on how to make your clients better. Guess what will happen?
You’ll make your clients better.
They will tell their colleagues. And the cycle will continue.