Hi friends, Miracle here! I am a volunteer with the Ruvvy Resilience Lab, working to produce the video content you see from our team. This week, I wanted to share some thoughts and action steps with you based on a book I recently read called Atomic Habits.

Why Change Feels Hard, and How Small Actions Make It Easier

When we try to set goals and create positive changes in our lives, why does it always feel so hard?

Why do the first few months of the year fly by before we ever get a real chance to follow through on our New Year’s resolutions?  

According to James Clear, the way most of us approach change is part of the problem. No one sets a goal expecting to fail, so why does consistency feel so difficult?

When we think about change, we often imagine dramatic shifts:

• New year's resolutions

• Major branding and aesthetic transformations.

However, real lasting change usually happens quietly through small, repeated actions that slowly reshape how we think, feel, and behave. 

How Habits Work

Our daily behaviors are not random. Our habits are built through reinforcement and identity formation.

When we understand how habits work in the brain, change becomes less about willpower and more about system design.

Instead of asking:

“Why can’t I stay motivated?”

the better question is:

“How can I make this healthy behavior easier to repeat?”

Rome wasn’t built in a day. Habits are built through small steps repeated daily, quietly shaping who we are. 

Identity and Change

Imagine the person you want to be in the future. Picture a version of you with the ideal life. That version of you is not just someone who magically achieved certain outcomes. They think differently and talk to themselves differently.  

Identity change starts in the mind long before it shows up in behavior.

In Atomic Habits, Clear gives an example of someone trying to quit smoking. When offered a cigarette, instead of saying, “No thanks, I’m trying to quit,” the person says, “No thanks, I don’t smoke.”

That small shift in language represents a much bigger shift in identity. One statement reflects struggle. The other reflects an identity belief. 

People are motivated to act in ways that align with how they truly see themselves:

• If someone believes, “I am a healthy person,” they are more likely to make health-aligned choices.

• If someone believes, “I’m bad at math,” they are more likely to avoid academic challenges.

Your behavior says more about how you view yourself than what you say. 

The Power of Small Change

In a society that loves to glorify big moves and dramatic transformations, we rarely highlight the power of small change.

This is one of the main points James Clear drives home. In a world obsessed with instant gratification, we forget that:

• Slow and steady really does win the race.

• Consistency matters more than intensity.

• Identity matters more than motivation.  

Committing to getting just 1% better every day does not feel like much in the moment. But over time:

• One month → you are jogging instead of walking

• Four months → you are running

• Eight months → you are sprinting

• One year → you find yourself running a marathon

That is the quiet power of getting 1% better every day.

Lasting Change

Lasting change is not built in moments of intense motivation.

It is built in ordinary, daily choices:

• The choices that feel boring

• The ones that feel repetitive

• The ones no one claps for

Those small actions teach the brain what matters, who we are, and what we are capable of becoming. 

Tiny habits do not equal tiny impact. They are the foundation of:

• Identity

• Resilience

• Fortitude

The future version of you is not created by one big decision or one perfect moment. That version of you is built through thousands of small moments where you choose to act and think like the person you want to be.

James Clear shares practical insights on building habits that stick and how small, consistent actions can lead to big, lasting results.  

A creative, visual take on James Clear’s ideas, illustrating how tiny daily habits quietly shape your identity and your future.

What tiny changes for big impact will you be making this year? Email us at [email protected] and let us know!

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