Establishing New Habits & Building

Coming off the business of the holiday season, winter break, and juggling many activities, I've come to the realization of just how important it is to have highly established habits. Not just for myself, but also - and more importantly from my professional standpoint - for my students. 

Down the road and in tweets I will address some of how that applies with my students. For now, I'm reflecting on how this plays out in and affects my own life. 

Over the last 3-plus months I have been recovering and rehabbing from a ruptured Achilles tendon injury suffered in late September. Following surgery, I have been diligent with my habits...first around recovery - following doctor's orders, doing the right thing, etc., and then with rehab exercises and disciplines. As a result, my surgeon, PT specialists, and I have all been very pleased with how things have progressed. I still have a ways to go, and am now working toward larger goals: one-leg calf raises, holding body weight with one leg, and building toward running and jumping again. 

Throughout this whole ordeal it has become increasingly obvious just how important small, consistent, and disciplined actions - habits - can be in our lives. I've subscribed to James Clear's email newsletter for a while, and have been reading his book Atomic Habits. It truly is amazing to see firsthand just how small habits can create change over time. With an injury recovery it can be so easy to become impatient! But, staying the course and being diligent can lead to sudden improvement. As cliche as it sounds, I have had days where I wake up and seemingly out of nowhere I have crossed some sort of invisible threshold. Walking feels stronger, the stability in the leg seems more sure, flexibility & range of motion have grown. 

For me, the next step is to apply this practice to other parts of my life. Re-establishing those small habits around working out. Carving space out of each day to read for pleasure. Creating purposeful sleep habits. Establishing household routines that lead to less moments of "oh man, we need to clean up the house!" Finally, making time each and every day to do just this...write. It sharpens my mind, helps me reflect on my teaching & coaching craft, and will hopefully help lead to building an audience of students who want to grow, parents who want more resources and ideas for their kids as students, and like-minded professionals who can share ideas and insights. 

So, here's to 1% more & better each day. Here's to small growth compounding over time. Thanks for reading!