Ep. 16: It’s Not You, It’s Your Sh*tty Habits
Everyone loves talking about motivation.
Motivation to start a business.
Motivation to get fit.
Motivation to “become your best self.”
But if we’re being honest, motivation isn’t the real problem.
Most of the time, it’s your habits.
And more specifically the environment that’s quietly reinforcing those habits every single day.
Your Environment Is Controlling You
One of the biggest takeaways from books like Atomic Habits and Indistractable is that behavior is often less about willpower and more about accessibility.
Whatever is easiest to reach is what you’ll default to.
If there’s junk food everywhere in your house, you’ll eat junk food.
If there’s water bottles everywhere, you’ll drink more water.
It sounds stupidly simple, but it’s incredibly powerful.
For example:
Keep water bottles everywhere — your desk, your car, your bedside table.
Leave your vitamins next to your toothbrush so you actually remember to take them.
Remove snacks you know you’ll binge on.
Your environment is either helping you win or quietly sabotaging you.
Your Phone Is Probably Ruining Your Focus
Another massive habit shift is removing digital distractions.
Most people don’t realize how much their phone controls their behavior.
Every notification is a tiny interruption that pulls you out of whatever you were doing and drops you into the rabbit hole of social media.
One simple fix?
Turn notifications off.
Better yet remove social media apps from your main screen entirely.
You can still access them if you want, but they’re not constantly in your face begging for attention.
Clean workspace. Clean phone screen. Clean mind.
The more clutter around you, the easier it is to get distracted.
Force Discipline
People always ask how someone builds consistent habits like working out every day or eating well.
The truth?
Sometimes you just force yourself.
You wake up early.
You go to the gym even when you don’t want to.
You do the uncomfortable thing anyway.
Not because you feel like it but because the alternative is staying stuck.
A lot of people were never pushed outside their comfort zone growing up. And when something feels uncomfortable, they immediately retreat.
But discomfort is usually the exact direction you should go.
Why Going “All In” Usually Backfires
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to fix their habits is going too extreme.
They go from:
Never working out → training 7 days a week
Eating junk food → cutting everything overnight
And then they burn out.
When the plan is too aggressive, it becomes something you’re just trying to survive until it’s over.
The better approach?
Start smaller.
If you don’t work out at all, a workout can literally just be a walk outside.
Anything that moves you forward is progress.
Consistency beats intensity every time.
“Day One” Not “One Day”
A lot of people have a vision for their dream life.
The house.
The career.
The freedom.
But they get overwhelmed because they’re so far from it that they freeze.
Instead of thinking about the entire journey, focus on today.
Not “one day.”
Day one.
Wake up and ask:
What would the best version of me do today?
Then do that.
And tomorrow? It’s day one again.
Manifestation Isn’t Magic
Manifestation gets misunderstood all the time.
Yes, believing in your future matters.
But belief without action does absolutely nothing.
Manifestation doesn’t magically drop success into your life.
What it does is create opportunities.
And those opportunities often show up disguised as uncomfortable decisions:
Starting something new
Saying yes to something scary
Doing something you’ve never done before
Most people back out right there.
The Habit That Changes Everything
One of the most powerful habits you can build is simply the ability to lock in.
Not autopilot.
Not distracted.
Not half-paying attention while scrolling your phone.
Just deciding:
Today I’m going to focus and execute.
It sounds simple, but it’s rare.
When you learn to flip that switch, everything changes.
Becoming Your Best Self
A useful way to think about habits is asking yourself two questions:
Would my future self be proud of this?
Would my younger self be impressed by who I’ve become?
You don’t have to be perfect every day.
That’s impossible.
But if you consistently choose actions that move you closer to that version of yourself, the gap starts closing.
The Real Goal
You’re not trying to completely reinvent yourself overnight.
You’re just trying to become someone who does slightly better things each day.
Drink the water.
Turn off the notifications.
Take the walk.
Organize the desk.
Do the uncomfortable thing.
Because eventually, those small choices compound into something much bigger.
And one day you’ll look back and realize:
It wasn’t you that was holding you back.
It was your habits.
