Change is only possible through the cultivation of new habits. Most of the time these habits grow or fade thanks to tiny, daily reminders.
We are, after all, trying to replace old habits with new ones, and we’re entitled to some help.
Reminders can be people or places, words, smells or feelings. They are formed through promises we make to others and intentions we set for ourselves.
Reminders nudge us to do the things we said we want to do—they push us forward when we feel like ignoring our best-laid plans, and, on the days we forget those plans entirely, reminders put them in front of us, in plain sight, where they’re impossible to ignore.
The reminder distracts us from the delusion that the choice of whether to do this new thing, today, is a big decision. It’s not. We already said this was important to us, and that decision won’t improve if we revisit it. Our job, today, is to start. Once we start, we tend to continue.
So whether it’s making a plan to meet someone for an early morning walk, chopping up the raw vegetables we want to eat instead of chips, a colleague giving us a supportive nod right before we walk on stage, or just whispering our intention to ourselves before a difficult conversation, one of our jobs is to set up reminders everywhere.
They help us turn our plans into habits, our habits into practices, and our practices into the new person we aim to become.
Commitments are a series of choices that we make again and again.
Reminders help make each of those choices a little more straightforward.
