What skills do you use every day that you don’t even think about? For example, do you consciously move pen across paper each time you write a note, forming every letter specifically? Possible if you are 5 or 6 years old, but not usually beyond that stage. Do you talk yourself through driving your vehicle down a street, with every action scripted before you act? Again, probably not beyond a certain stage of “driver development”.
Most of us, once we have reached adulthood, have an entire range of skills that enable us to act without thinking. How were those skills developed to such a level? Probably through multiple repetitions over a period of time. Studies show that it takes multiple repetitions over a span of time (anywhere from 21 to 250, depending on the study) to bring skill development to a subconscious level.
The same is true of habits or patterns of thought that we want to develop. Whether it is something relatively minor (like turning a light out when you leave a room) or something of deeper consequence (such as building your self-confidence), it takes repetition over time to produce the results we want. Sports teams don’t practice because it’s fun (although fun is possible), they practice because the positive repetition along with identifying and correcting negative traits often will produce the desired positive results.
What skills, thoughts, habits, and attitudes are you practicing positively today? As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.”