I wanted to run a marathon this year. The truth is, I hardly ever run, but like any good mid-life crisis man, I wanted to tackle that goal to prove to myself I still could do hard things. Sounds great, right? Fun and challenging? Here’s the problem—I didn’t do it. I don’t even think I wanted to do it.

If I had been smarter, I would have set a tiny goal, like running 5 km per week for a year for example. Then I could “win” the goal, and if the marathon happened, it’d be gravy. Instead, here I am approaching the end of the year. I’ve actually logged at least 10 km/week all year long, but I don’t feel like it matters. But it does matter. My goal was just poorly crafted.

In this “dream big” and “hustle hard” era, it can be difficult to dial it back and make tiny goals and tiny habits, but I’m convinced it’s where most of the change is actually possible. On this week’s show, Dr. BJ Fogg shares his behavior change research from his upcoming book.

Listen & Learn:

• How you need an epiphany, an environment change, or a collection of tiny habits to make lasting change
• Why stacking small successes is often much wiser than chasing huge moonshots
• Why feeling good is the best way to change
• How things that make you feel guilt and shame are unlikely to motivate you long-term

Links & Resources:

• Tiny Habits Site
• BehaviorModel.org

Nutritional Tip: Food Allergies

About Our Guest

Dr. BJ Fogg founded the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, where he directs research and innovation. He teaches industry innovators how to use his models in Behavior Design. The purpose of his research and teaching is to help people improve their lives. BJ is the author of Persuasive Technology, and Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything is coming out in a couple months.

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