I’ve always been a fan of habits. Not because they were trendy. Not because they were easy. But because, early on, I learned they were necessary. My ‘adult’ relationship with habits started when I started running…And I hated running.

Every step felt heavy.
Every mile felt unnecessary.

But I had a goal: run a marathon.

I knew talent wasn’t going to get me there.
Motivation wouldn’t either.

Only habits would. So I stopped thinking about “becoming a runner” and focused on becoming someone who showed up.

One mile. Then two. Then three.

Not glamorous. Not exciting. But effective.

That experience quietly rewired something in me. Habits weren’t about willpower. They were about identity. Over time, that lesson kept evolving.

There was a season where my habits had to change to meet my business goals. Earlier mornings. More learning. More discomfort. Different priorities.

Then another season where habits shifted to meet personal goals. Health. Energy. Presence. Boundaries.

And recently, I’ve found myself in a new season altogether. A season of intentionally embracing what serves:

• My family
• My personal life
• My ability to show up as a spouse
• My ability to be a badass business leader

Not perfectly. But…Intentionally.

And in this season, something powerful has happened. By implementing small, consistent habits…and focusing less on big, dramatic change and more on tiny daily improvements…intentional thinking has become my first thought, not an afterthought.

Not perfect. Not constant. But present. And that difference has started to change how I show up…

Habits Are the Real Strategy

In chapters of my life, I believed that intentional thinking was something you turned on when you had time.

A quiet moment. A tough decision. A problem that finally forced you to slow down.

Yet I know deep down…Traditional goals often fail because they focus on outcomes:

• Lose 20 pounds
• Make more money
• Be more present with you family
• Grow the business

Outcomes sound motivating. They feel exciting. But real transformation doesn’t happen at the outcome level.

It happens at the process level.

It happens in:

• The glass of water you drink in the morning
• The 10-minute walk
• The five minutes of journaling
• The choice to pause before reacting
• The choice to put your phone away at night and be 100% ‘there’ and disconnected from a device

Habits are simply small decisions repeated.

And small decisions, repeated long enough, become identity.

Your Life Is a Mirror of Your Habits

Look at almost any area of life…What you see is not accidental. It’s a reflection of what you consistently do.

Not what you intend to do.
Not what you wish you did.
But what you actually do.

Habits are formed by what we choose to spend our time on. And here’s the uncomfortable truth:

Most of us only truly control a few hours per day…Sometimes I feel like only a few moments when I have the kids and life happening all at once…so those moments of OURS, really matter…

Listen, I am guilty on this 1000%. And I know, because I know how I feel after it…if I spend them:

• Scrolling my phone or social
• Consuming negativity
• Eating poorly
• Avoiding hard things
• Distracting myself to get a task done

My outputs…. will reflect that.

When I spend them:

• Creating memories, even the most basic, with my loved ones
• Learning a new skill
• Moving my body
• Creating
• Resting intentionally

My outputs will reflect that.

Cause and effect.

Why Habits Feel Hard

Habits feel hard because they’re “boring.” Though I think they can be quite interesting…

Yet they do not come with instant results and most people around you aren’t cheering you on each day as you complete the task at hand…They are quiet, relentless, intentional acts (or not intentional…)

And that is why many don’t think habits matter or they abandon them…people wait for motivation instead of building systems.

Motivation is unreliable. Habits are infrastructure.

The 1% Rule Changes the Game

I read a book, Atomic Habits…love it, buy it, put it on the bookshelf, revisit it (I have over the years)…

Improving 1% per day sounds insignificant. It isn’t.

Small improvements compound.

• Over weeks → noticeable
  Over months → meaningful
  Over years → life-altering

The goal is progress. Especially in a world overflowing with shiny objects, noise, and distraction, progress is everything. Not massive leaps. Tiny steps. Taken consistently.

Action Relieves Anxiety

Most anxiety comes from inaction. From knowing what you should do…and not doing it. Hence to my points above, I know when I am intentional about habits and how I feel and when I just let my ‘driver’ take over and get ‘complacent…’

You don’t need clarity before action. You get clarity from action.

Send the email. Take the walk. Write the first sentence. Drink the water. Give up what is not serving you or people that are not…

Motion creates momentum. Momentum creates confidence.

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Let Your Habits Shift with Your Season

One of the most freeing realizations I have had over my 40+ years of life now…Your habits are allowed to change. SEASONS OF LIFE. You change, your habits can too…

I had a few seasons of intense career building and that required different habits than a season of family focus…I have had a few seasons of recovery versus acceleration.

At first it was hard…because I like structure and rigid frameworks at times. Yet, that wasn’t always aligned with the season I was in…

The goal is not rigid consistency.

As I get older…I get ‘wiser’ and I do a check in…“What does this season of my life require from me?” Then I try to be more mindful each season to build habits that support that answer.

Inputs First. Always.

One quote that continues to stick with me:

“Procrastinating is choosing to delay a better future. It is choosing to ignore the results you could be having. Fix the inputs and the outputs will fix themselves. Time is precious.” — James Clear

Stop obsessing over outputs. Start respecting inputs. Outputs take care of themselves. LOVE IT.

From Afterthought to First Thought

Intentional thinking didn’t become my first thought because I suddenly became more disciplined in this season…It became my first thought because I built habits that created space:

• Space to pause
• Space to think
• Space to choose

I am working on it daily with small habits. Simple habits. Unsexy habits…But powerful ones.

That is my win. Not a perfect life. Not a finished version of myself. It is a daily pattern that quietly moves me closer to who I want to become.

One small INTENTIONAL choice at a time.