Learn about an unusual “theory” that can completely change the way you approach your goals…
***
In the late 1970s, Stanford psychologist Philip Zimbardo decided to conduct an interesting experiment. He parked one car without license plates with the hood slightly open and the window down in a New York City neighborhood. The other car he parked in a neighborhood in Palo Alto, California, but he didn’t remove the license plates or leave the hood and window open – this car appeared to belong to someone and as if it was in regular use. It’s important to note that both neighborhoods where he parked his cars were known for their poverty and high crime rates.
The car he parked in New York was “visited” by thieves the same night, and after only three days, there was nothing of value in it. The car he had parked in Palo Alto was still untouched after a week.
To continue his experiment, he broke the window of an “intact” car parked in Palo Alto with a hammer. The broken window gave the impression that the car was abandoned. Only a few hours after he broke the window, thieves stole everything of value from the car.
So while the car seemed to belong to someone and appeared to be regularly maintained and used, no one had touched it for a week. When he broke the window and left the impression that it was abandoned, thieves stole everything valuable from the car just a few hours later.
This experiment served as the basis for the development of what is known as the Broken Windows Theory, which states that when smaller (minor) crimes become IGNORED and NEGLECTED, this creates the impetus and fertile ground for the spread of larger crimes and the development of “more serious” crimes. This theory has more than proven itself in practice, and its application has led to a decline in crime rates in several cities across the United States.
Over time, this theory has also been applied to personal development in a slightly modified form. We’ll now examine how this theory can help us in personal change.
No matter how “big” or “far” the goal you want to achieve, the path to get there primarily consists of various SMALL STEPS, which you must take daily.
No matter how “big” or “far” the goal you want to achieve, the path to get there primarily consists of various SMALL STEPS, which you must take daily.
Think about it…
You might want to lose 20 pounds. Whatever weight loss program or approach you choose, what will have the greatest impact on the result is the sum of the small steps you take every day, such as exercising regularly, eating right, avoiding certain foods, and so on.
Maybe you want to write your first book. You’re full of inspiration and excitement just thinking about your book being sold in bookstores. However, the success of your endeavor depends mostly on your daily habits and the time you spend each day writing, studying literature, completing your existing tasks, and so on.
Great ambition, motivation, inspiration, vision, and various other “drivers” of proactive behavior are often overrated. As much as they can be (and often are) very powerful triggers for the change process, they quickly disappear if we don’t sustain them with small practical steps in our daily lives. Jim Rohn, one of the most famous motivational speakers, said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn
Often the small steps we take toward our goals can seem repetitive and insignificant. It’s possible that our progress goes unnoticed for days or weeks, even if we regularly stick to these routine steps. For example, you may exercise regularly for weeks or meticulously watch every meal without noticing any significant change in your body. Likewise, you may have been writing your book for a few weeks, but realized that you’ve only written two pages after crossing out everything that seemed redundant.
However, these small “routine steps” are crucial. If you ignore or skip them, you’ll lose motivation very quickly and may give up on your goal or the change you want to make.
***
Each of your skipped small steps acts metaphorically like a car from the experiment above that seems neglected. The more your “car” looks neglected, the harder it’ll be for you to get it back to optimal condition.
Eventually, this will also cause those around you who could help you achieve your goal to sense that you’re neglectful and not sufficiently committed to your goal or the outcome, and they’ll lose their will to help you. Let’s face it, why would they waste their time with you when you have yet to figure out how much you really care about your goal? This all happens mostly on the unconscious level, but most of our interactions happen unconsciously anyway.
Let’s say you faithfully stick to the small steps because you don’t want your “car” to appear neglected, but to be regularly cared for and maintained. In this case, people will recognize your commitment and feel the urge to meet your needs as best they can and help you as best they can and know how.
In yoga theory, there is a principle that if you don’t meditate for one day, it’ll take you two days to get back to the same level. If you don’t meditate for two days, you need four days of meditation to get back to the same level. And if you don’t meditate for three days, you need nine days of meditation to get back to the same level.
“If you don’t meditate for one day, it’ll take you two days to get back to the same level. If you don’t meditate for two days, you need four days of meditation to get back to the same level. And if you don’t meditate for three days, you need nine days of meditation to get back to the same level.”
In short, small steps taken regularly, daily or weekly, are the foundation for any success. Once you start ignoring and “skipping” these small steps, you’ll not only feel the tendency to ignore and “skip” them even more, but you’ll also start postponing the crucial (bigger) steps you need to achieve your goal.
The secret to being proactive isn’t only to have a clear vision, strong motivation and ambition. It’s also crucial to recognize the importance of taking small steps and the risks of skipping them. Additionally, it’s essential to understand the concept of the “non-linear nature of progress,” as we call it at Mystic Power Hub.
The nonlinear nature of progress in the field of personal development
There is another interesting phenomenon to keep in mind when talking about the importance of taking small steps and the hidden danger of “skipping” them.
When we define our goals and the small steps we take each day, part of our mind expects to see at least a little progress with each step. This is a natural expectation because if you’re already investing time and energy into something, you want to be sure that the steps you’ve taken have at least brought you closer to the desired outcome. As logical as this expectation may seem, linear development is unfortunately only possible in rare cases when discussing personal growth.
That’s why it’s important to keep the following points in mind…
For example, suppose it takes 100 days to complete a particular activity to reach your goal. In that case, you can expect that about 80 percent of your VISIBLE RESULTS will only show up in the last 20 days (the last 20 percent of the time).
For example, suppose it takes you 100 days to complete your book. In that case, you’ll likely complete 80 percent of your manuscript in the last 20 days, while you’ll spend the first 80 days experimenting with different ideas, writing and editing, researching material, etc. – in any case, without visible concrete results that you could show to someone and ask for their opinion.
For example, suppose it takes you 10 months to start your own business and start earning a monthly net income equal to your current monthly salary. In that case, most of the important results that will have the greatest impact on your standard monthly net income will likely occur exactly two months before you start earning that kind of income.
Of course, this isn’t an exact statistic, but just a guess that shows that our path to our goal isn’t linear.
Unfortunately, due to a misunderstanding of this phenomenon, many people hastily conclude that what they’re doing “isn’t going the way they thought it would’ and give up without realizing that they are almost close to their goal.
It’s about preparing in advance to spend an average of 80 percent of the time it takes to reach a goal on small, necessary steps that no one notices. That’s exactly what separates people who make progress from those who always go around in circles.
Summary:
- No matter how “big” or “far” the goal or outcome you want to achieve, most of your path to that goal or outcome consists of various SMALL STEPS, which you must walk daily.
- If you start ignoring and “skipping” these small steps, you’ll have a TENDENCY TO IGNORE AND SKIP ANY ACTION YOU NEED. This will gradually dampen your motivation, cloud your vision, and cause you to give up on your goals or the change you want to achieve.
- Be prepared to spend 80 percent of your time taking small steps that no one will notice. The visible and significant results will only become apparent in the last 20 percent of the time, just before you achieve your desired result.
