- Ask: “Where do I want to be in 10 years? 5 years? 1 year?”
Then ask: “What is the ONE thing I must do daily/weekly to make that inevitable?”
Example: Want a $5M business? The one thing is usually revenue-generating activity (sales calls, content, offers). - Accept the Pain Upfront
When you start the new behavior, your body and brain will scream.
Expect the knot in your stomach. Expect the voice that says “this feels stupid.”
That’s normal. It means you’re doing it right. - Use the Trigger → Action → Reward Loop
- Trigger: Something you already do every day (wake up, brush teeth, make coffee).
- Action: The hard thing (e.g., open laptop → make 10 cold calls).
- Reward: Immediate and pleasurable (coffee, music, checkmark, 5-minute walk).
- Track It Relentlessly for 30–90 Days
Use a simple Google Sheet:
Date | Did I do the ONE thing? (Yes/No) | Notes
Seeing the chain of green “Yes” days is addictive. - Never Break the Chain — Turn It Into Identity
After ~90 days of unbroken reps, something magical happens.
You stop thinking “I need to make sales calls.”
You start thinking “I’m the kind of person who makes sales calls every morning.”
Now it’s identity. Now it’s instinct.
He woke up → opened laptop → dialed.
First week: torture.
Month 3: autopilot.
Year 2: he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to.Same pattern with Kobe Bryant practicing footwork at 4 a.m., or J.K. Rowling writing every single day while broke and depressed.Your Mission Right Now
- Write down your 5- or 10-year vision.
- Circle the ONE hard thing that moves the needle most.
- Choose your trigger and reward.
- Open a Google Sheet and make Day 1 today.
Quitting is permanent.Do the hard thing long enough and one day you’ll wake up and realize:
It’s no longer hard.
It’s who you are.And that’s when the game changes forever.P.S. If you want the exact spreadsheet template Sam Ovens and thousands of his students use to track the “one thing,” reply or DM me the word “HABIT” and I’ll send it to you. No opt-in required.