LEAD October 2021 | Page 19

small and think long . This goes back to the growth mindset on day two . Harder is better , and slower is faster . That ’ s as counterintuitive as it is countercultural , but that doesn ’ t make it any less true . Whatever habit you ’ re trying to make or break , it ’ ll take more than a minute . You have to hitch the wagon , and commit yourself to the long haul called the habit cycle .
In the sixteenth century , there was an English playwright named John Heywood who died just before William Shakespeare was born . He was a lot less famous than Shakespeare , but I bet you ’ ve quoted him without even knowing it . A few of his idioms include —“ many hands make light work ,” “ better late than never ,” and
“ a rolling stone gathers no moss .” His most famous axiom ? “ Rome wasn ’ t built in a day .”
Can I be brutally honest ? Habit formation feels like it takes forever ! That ’ s when you have to remind yourself that Rome wasn ’ t built in a day ! Making habits and breaking habits will take longer than you like , no doubt . But the more time you invest , the more meaningful it is .
Fun fact ? In 1947 , General Mills introduced its first instant cake mix . They expected instant success , but the cake mix did not sell well . The company was confused because it had simplified a difficult task . All you had to do was add water . It was easy-peasy . And that was
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