66 days…that, my friends, is the magic number of days it takes to form a habit, so the experts say. If you have the discipline to make a change, chances are it will take a little over two months to add it to your routine. There are so many tasks we already do on auto-pilot: brush teeth, make coffee, walk the dog, check email. These are things that don’t get missed because they are ingrained in our minds, bodies and routines.
American entrepreneurs may have a well-earned reputation for risk taking, but once we have a modicum of success, we tend to turn into a timid bunch—or maybe the better term is reluctant. We’ve figured out what works on our own for initial growth, so we start relying on that status quo experience, often refusing to recognize changes appearing on the horizon, reluctant to see what’s right in front of us.
I walk into Starbucks and without thinking I place my order, a Grande in a Venti cup iced Starbucks Double Shot with two Splendas, non-fat milk, and room. I guess there is only one way to put this – I am a creature of habit! I know I am not alone; most people follow a daily routine and are creatures of habit. Perhaps you, too, drink the same coffee every morning, or you wake up every morning, read the newspaper, drive to work, read your emails, and then get on with the tasks you need to accomplish.
