The downside of creating good habits

In my 10 years experience of training and working out, I have seen many establishing the habit of going to the gym and also many who quit. 

Some of these people who managed to workout consistently didn’t seem to improve as they should have been.

It felt like they were stuck in a cycle that didn’t seem to improve both physically and strength. 

So, as a curious person I carefully analyzed their workout and spoke to these people. 

And then everything became clear.

Many of them workout consistently but didn’t seem to change their workout schedule, weights, diet and other factors. 

They’ve built a good habit of showing up and didn’t mind repeating the process. They have mastered a habit but became less sensitive to feedback. 

And that’s one of the downsides of creating a good habit. Once establishing a habit, it becomes an automatic process that you practice on autopilot mode. 

And it numbs your sense of improvement. 

Every action is good enough.

Little errors become invisible.

And there will be less room for feedback and improvements. 

It feels like gaining experience but in reality you are reinforcing your current habits, not improving them. 

“You can’t repeat the same things blindly and expect to become exceptional”

To become exceptional, you have to combine automatic habits with deliberate practices. 

Master a skill by building habits that unlock advanced levels of habits that will enhance your skill. 

This can be done by reflecting and reviewing your habits.

To become better you have to bring the mistakes and errors into the light. Become deeply aware of the small mistakes so you know where to improve. 

You can see the process of reflecting as driving from point A to point B. 

When you doze off you go off track and that will set you back. 

The amount of time you waste depends on how fast you see your mistakes to make course corrections. 

Unfortunately, with habits, mistakes aren’t  particularly visible as driving from A to B. So, a way to correct the course is through reflection and reviewing. 

“A lack of self-awareness is poison. Reflection and review is the antidote”