Greetings and salutations!
Why the oddly formal hello this morning, you ask? No reason… I just don’t get to use the word ‘salutations’ enough (and levity is good for the soul).
Anyway, let’s get right to it.
Today is Day 4.
Or as we discussed the other day, today is really DAY ONE (because it’s always “Day 1”).
And yesterday we talked about the Goals -> Identity -> Habits framework.
How the best athletes/pitchers don’t rely on motivation or willpower. They use their willpower ahead of time to develop winning habits that drive their actions and run on autopilot.
Because as wise old Aristotle purportedly said (another fun word there, “purported”):
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.”
Side note: apparently that’s actually a quote by historian Will Durant about Aristotle’s philosophy… but it sums it up well nonetheless.
The way Aristotle thought about “excellence” was basically showing up as the best version of yourself moment-to-moment.
In pitching terms – doing the “little” things consistently to become the kind of pitcher you want to be (again, see yesterday’s email for some ideas on what those might be).
TODAY, let’s focus on HOW you actually “install” those good habits…
There are some great books on the topic, including The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, Tiny Habits by B.J. Fogg and Atomic Habits by James Clear.
Atomic Habits is probably the best/easiest read (think its already sold over 10 million copies), and James Clear actually started off as college baseball player himself, so I’d probably go straight to that one if you wanna dive deeper (he also draws heavily on the other two).
Anyway, each of them say that if you want to start (or break) a habit, there’s a basic formula you want to follow.
- Duhigg calls them “Habit Loops”… essentially Cue -> Routine -> Reward”…
- Fogg adds the idea of “tiny” habits… making the new habit EASY so you can build momentum.
- Clear tweaks it to CCRR (cue, craving, response, reward)…
But basically, they all agree.. If you want a new habit to stick:
- Make it EASY. Don’t start by saying I’m gonna run 5 miles and do 60 minutes of arm care every day… Instead, try “I’ll do a 5 minute arm care / bands routine”
- Make if OBVIOUS. Have a simple cue that reminds you do to actually do the thing or have a consistent time you do it (have your bands already hanging from your closet door).
- Make it REWARDING. When you do the thing, check it off your list and give yourself a virtual high 5. Or come up with some ways you can make the specific action/task FUN.
And the more you repeat that, the more powerful it gets. Because the little things add up.
“Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.” – James Clear (Atomic Habits)
Okay, this email got long in a hurry…
Tomorrow I’ll share some specific, practical ways you can put this into ACTION to make this your best season ever.
In the meantime, chew on that idea and start playing around with some ways you can add the Big 3 (Easy, Obvious, Rewarding) into your own routine.
Until then…
Committed to Your Pitching Success,
Coach Phil