This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
Keep at them daily to avoid failure
The longer you stray from a habit, the easier it becomes to not return to it.
If you have a habit of working out but decide to take a rest day, and then another rest day, and then another rest day, you’re in the process of creating a new habit of not working out.
Suppose you habitually invest but turn off automatic distributions or stop manually distributing funds each week or month. In that case, you will develop a new habit: Not building wealth.
If you have the habit of eating healthy but decide not to eat healthy for several days, you risk continuing this habit and not returning to healthy eating patterns.
If you have the habit of not allowing your emotions to overpower you in small and large situations but decide to surround yourself with people who do the opposite, you risk becoming like them.
If you have a habit of reading but decide not to read for several days, you will develop the habit of not reading.
Habits can be hard to break but also easily destroyed. It’s usually the good and most productive habits that are most sensitive to being easily destroyed.
A simple shift in your actions can change your trajectory.
When you take a day off here and a day off there, you become lukewarm about the habit. You start questioning and bargaining if it’s worth keeping the habit in the first place.
You might start having thoughts such as:
I’ll try it once.
Next week I’ll be back; I promise.
I’ll get back on track. I need some time away.
It’s not like this habit has produced results for me anyways.
I’m always productive; it’s time to have some fun. You only live once.
Habits Are Critical To Accomplish Goals
It’s healthy to work on your goals daily; when you do, you keep your fire lit (motivation), see more consistent progress, and make it harder to stop working on your goals.
Habits are the foundation for the accomplishment of any worthy goal. The more dedicated and consistent you are in your habits contributing to your goals, the more progress you will experience.
Most People Willingly Give Up Their Progress
The longer you engage in a habit, the easier it becomes to continue it. But as soon as you break a habit just once, it can be destroyed.
I always recommend doing one action daily that will push you forward a bit more – even if the progress is only 1% or 0.01%.
Tiny consistent progress goes a long way.
At some point, you won’t even recognize where you are because you’ve arrived.
Before you deviate from any productive habit and take more than a day off, rethink your decision and know that you are creating a new, less productive habit that will take you in the opposite direction of your goals.
Either Way, A Habit Is Formed
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.