Today, let's talk about the true engine of progress and how we can achieve lasting change. We often get caught up in the idea of big, dramatic transformations, but in reality, all big things come from small beginnings. The smallest decision you make today can become the seed of a powerful habit.

The Power of Small Habits 🪴

Think about it. A single decision to go for a five-minute walk, to read one page of a book, or to write a single sentence is a tiny action. But when you repeat that decision, a habit sprouts and begins to grow stronger. It's like a plant—its roots entrench themselves, and its branches grow.

Conversely, breaking a bad habit is like trying to uproot a powerful oak tree that has become a part of who we are. Building a good one, on the other hand, is like cultivating a delicate flower, one careful day at a time. The real challenge is sticking with it long enough to see results.

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Surviving the Plateau of Latent Potential ⛰️

We often expect progress to be linear—that our hard work will be immediately rewarded. But in reality, there's often a "valley of disappointment" or what's known as the Plateau of Latent Potential. This is the period where you're putting in consistent effort, day after day, week after week, with no visible signs of improvement. This can be incredibly discouraging.

However, the work isn't wasted. It's simply being stored. The breakthroughs, the amazing results, and the true value of your efforts are revealed much later, after you've reached a critical threshold. What gets us through this difficult period? The answer lies not in our goals, but in our systems.

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Goals vs. Systems: A New Perspective 🎯

Traditional wisdom tells us that the best way to achieve what we want is to set clear, specific, and actionable goals. For years, I did this myself. I set goals for my grades, my weightlifting, and my business. While I had some successes, I had far more failures. I eventually realized that my results had very little to do with the goals I set and everything to do with the systems I followed.

So, what's the difference?

• A goal is the result you want to achieve. It's the destination.

• A system is the process that leads to that result. It's the journey.

For a basketball coach, the goal is to win a championship. Their system is how they recruit players, manage their staff, and run practice every single day. For an entrepreneur, the goal is to build a successful business. Their system is the process they use to test product ideas, hire employees, and manage their marketing.

Here's the interesting question: If you completely ignored your goals and focused only on your system, would you still succeed? I believe you would. Think of it like a sports game. The goal is to get the best score, but no one spends the entire game staring at the scoreboard. The only way to win is to get better each day, play by play. As three-time Super Bowl winner Bill Walsh said, “The score takes care of itself.”

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Why Systems Matter More ⚙️

Goals are great for setting a direction, but systems are what get you there. When you get too focused on your goals, a handful of problems can arise. You might feel disappointed if you don't reach your goal, even if you've made significant progress. You might also put off happiness until you achieve the goal, thinking, "I'll be happy when..."

By focusing on your system—the daily process—you can get better each day. The results, the goals, and the victories will follow naturally. So, let's shift our focus from the scoreboard to the process.

Is there a goal you've been working toward? What would a good system for that goal look like?