"compound interesting" my little daily habits

at the end you'll feel like a billionaire ;)

Good morning from sunny Playa del Carmen! We're halfway through the first month of January, and many of us have probably lost all motivation for the goals we have set for ourselves- that is, if we set any at all! I set goals for myself pretty much every day because it helps me revise what's working in my life and what isn't...HOWEVER I'm always plagued by the thought that I'm not doing enough to make things happen for myself!

I've finally become reluctant friends with this inner saboteur, as I've read from numerous sources that "successful" people are the ones that master boring tasks. Here is a link to the spot in the video from one of my favourite YouTubers (Ali Abdaal💛) that began my rabbit hole down this concept! For example, when we start a new routine to help us achieve a goal, it's new and exciting! There's a time where the learning curve is challenging and we can easily see progression. Then we seem to plateau because the habit becomes yawn-inducing. We aren't satisfied anymore because the habit is boring and we can’t see any improvement! Soon, we may ask ourselves "what's the point?" and then quit our habit because we don't see any obvious progression...but ask the masters of any skill and they'll tell you that they're the ones who kept going when others would've given up!

As you may have guessed, the little things are the important things in this scenario! Think of your habits like a bank account accumulating compound interest. Every day that you work a LITTLE bit on a skill, it improves! We don't see the results immediately, but over 10 years we're way better than when we started! For example, if we spend every day learning one word in a new language, by the end of the year we've learned 365 new words! We may look at the dictionary and get overwhelmed, thinking “I’m only learning one word, what’s the point when there’s so many that I don’t know!” Well, 365 words over a period of time is way better than 0! Inversely, two bowls of ice cream won't add 15 pounds overnight, but if we have two bowls every day for 10 years, those calories will add up!

My bestie Jade told me the other day that she was trying for "no zero days", which in her case meant physical exercise. I loved this saying and adopted it immediately! For example, if you have a goal of exercising every day but your job doesn't depend on it, chances are you will probably not be motivated to keep this habit up. So for the days you're sick or tired or busy, just say to yourself "no zero days" and do at least five push-ups or sit-ups, or whatever small exercise you can. Five is better than zero! The overachievers out there may feel silly congratulating themselves for doing five push-ups when they may have done fifty the week before, but celebrating these small wins are what keep us positive and motivated to continue! (Also…once you do five, you may find that you’re actually capable of doing ten, and just needed a small objective to beat procrastination!)

I think this digital age has made me even more impatient than I was as a kid, and if I don't see a result with things that I do IMMEDIATELY, I get discouraged. Many apps etc., are now built around the chemistry in our brains that reward instant gratification, so when I don’t see immediate results, my brain thinks that I must be doing something wrong, or the habit itself is wrong. Therefore, this concept of "compound interesting" my habits has helped me become more patient and kind with myself and the big lofty dreams I hold!

Some days I just have to tell myself to put my head down and complete all the stupid boring little things on my to-do list (that all contribute to bigger goals) and then I end up feeling at least 2% better at the end of the day because at least I did something to get closer to my M.O., even if I can’t see it yet. Life is a marathon, not a race, and it might not be until you reach the finish line that you can look back and see all the progress you made! I hope this perspective may help you be proud of each slow, small step you make along the way and celebrate the little wins!

Photos taken in Vancouver by Maleika Jeewanjee.