Make it Obvious
Aman loved music. He had learned to play the keyboard and decided to play it for 15 minutes every day. But he was just not being able to consistently do so. When I spoke to him, the first question I asked him was – What is your emotional why?
And his answer was one of the most beautiful responses I have ever received as a coach. He said – just like there is an alignment between the keys to create the melodies, I want to achieve the same alignment with my clients to create music in their lives and mine.
So he had his emotional WHY. Then what was stopping him. I requested him to show me where his keyboard was. It was inside his cupboard. He has to remove it from the cupboard, place it on his bed and then play it. I made him give me a tour of his room online. And I found an area where there were some boxes stacked one on top of the other. I asked Aman if he could rearrange these to create a space for the keyboard. And he replied in the affirmative. When the keyboard is out in the open it is right in front of his eyes.
Now Aman is able to play the keyboard more than 15 minutes each day in different intervals of time – based on his free time during the day. He had made it obvious.
One of our greatest challenges in changing habits is maintaining awareness of what we are actually doing. That is why the consequences of bad habits can sneak up on us. So, let’s prepare what James Clear calls the Habits Scorecard. This is a simple exercise we can do to become more aware of our behaviors. To create your scorecard, make a list of your daily habits. Once you have a full list, look at each behavior, and ask yourself, “Is this a good habit, a bad habit, or a neutral habit?” If it is a good habit, write “+” next to it. If it is a bad habit, write “–”. If it is a neutral habit, write “=”. Aman is a recruitment
e.g. Wake up =
Turn off alarm =
Go to the bathroom =
Weigh myself +
Take a shower +
Brush my teeth +
Floss my teeth +
………….
Actually, there are no good habits or bad habits. There are only effective habits. The rating you give to a particular habit will depend on your situation and your goals. The goal is to simply notice what is actually going on. Observe your thoughts and actions without judgment or internal criticism. Don’t blame yourself for your faults. Don’t praise yourself for your successes.
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