I heard the following story from author Andy Andrews years ago at an industry event:
Five birds are sitting on a fence. One of them decides to fly away. How many are left?
Most people would say four, but that answer is incorrect. You see, while a decision to act is the necessary first step to achieving any outcome, nothing actually changes until action is taken.
Since our feathery friend hadn’t yet flapped its wings to take flight, all five birds still sat on the fence.
Now, you might be thinking that this is either just cute wordplay or an unnecessary distinction since the bird probably flew away a few moments later.
If so, I agree with both thoughts—but I also recommend against just dismissing the idea too quickly.
Precision Nutrition touches on a similar concept in their coaching certification, which covers the psychology and practice of habit change (e.g. eating slowly) almost as much as nutrition science (e.g. daily protein needs). An oft repeated lesson is that knowing what to do and consistently doing it are two very different things.
While many people seeking nutrition coaching may already be aware of the basics, their primary challenge often revolves around developing the habit of doing those things regularly enough to see results.
Of course, the idea also applies to areas beyond nutrition, including:
All of which leads to the point of today’s tip: It’s easy to overlook the value of what we already know, especially the basics, and to think that we’re implementing consistently when, in reality, we’re not. Specifically, being aware of when we dismissively think we “already know that” and evaluating our actual habits can save us both time and headache in the long run.
Putting it into practice
Pick an area of life—nutrition, exercise, relationships, work habits—and list what you know will produce better outcomes. Then, being honest with yourself, consider what you’re either not currently doing or could be doing better and how you might add it more consistently into your regular routine.
Doing so probably won’t bring overnight results, but it will get you off the fence and moving in a better direction.