Creating a Habit: Just Put Your Shoes On

I have a friend from NSA named Jim Cathcart. Once upon a time, he’d been very overweight and he wanted to start running. Now, he hated running, he hated every bit of it—but, he knew, it was going to be a critical component of his weight loss program.

So what he decided to do was this: just put on his sneakers, everyday, and go to the corner. That’s it. If he wanted to go further, he could, but if he didn’t, all he had to do was put on his socks and shoes and run to the corner and come back. His wife asked why he didn’t just run 1 mile or a set distance everyday. He responded, ‘Because I know I won’t do that but I know I can commit to going to the corner.’

He joked about it—one time, he was actually in a tuxedo going to some event, but he hadn’t done this yet. So, as his wife is yelling ‘Come on, we gotta go!’ he actually yelled back, ‘No! I have to put on my sneakers and run to the corner and back’—and he did!

For him, it was a matter of creating the habit, of getting it into his muscle memory, and making it a piece of his day. He committed to doing that one small thing—and he was able to stick with it. And as you start to do that, to follow through on your little commitments, then you’ll find yourself saying, okay, I’ll go a little further today. And a little further tomorrow. And you just grow at your own rate, at your own pace—it happens naturally.

So, what’s your goal? What do you need to do to make that happen? And what is one small habit you can commit to every day that will ensure your success?

Oh, in case you’re wondering, Jim lost 52lbs and yes, now he loves running!