I recently heard a quote by Tom Ziglar on a Ziglar Show podcast that went like this: “The fastest way to success is by replacing bad habits with good habits.”

This got me thinking. What kind of bad habits do I have, and what do I want to replace them with?

I started writing down a list of bad habits that I have, and discovered that a lot of them went like this:

  • I’m not very organized.
  • I’m not in the physical shape I want to be in.
  • I’m not holding people accountable for the results they produce like I wish I was.
  • I’m not following through on the tasks I delegate as well as I’d like.
  • I’m not setting clear enough standards and expectations for myself and my team.
  • I’m not …

I realized that most of these could easily be reversed into statements like:

  • I’m always getting better at being organized.
  • I’m working on my physical health and improving my fitness.
  • I’m holding people accountable for the results they produce.
  • I’m following through on the tasks I delegate.
  • I’m setting clear standards and expectations for myself and my team.
  • I’m …

Taken a step further, I’m looking for little improvements for each of these areas each and every week. If I’m targeting being more organized this week, maybe it means that I’m working on writing down every task or commitment I make. Maybe I’m focused on labeling my emails more accurately.

Soon, those small steps add up to big change as the new habits I’m replacing the old habits with are becoming more and more ‘normal’ to me, and I am gradually improving in the areas that I’ve identified as places I want to improve.

There’s no quick road to success, just hard work and perseverance.