The best way for me to introduce you to S.J. Scott is by telling you one of his famous quotes. He says, “Build a Better Life – One Habit at a Time.” It is so true!
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As an author of over 60 books under his belt, be confident that S.J. knows what he’s talking about. He’s not, per se, a motivational speaker, even though he is a fantastic speaker, but rather a practical speaker. In his books, he offers easy-to-follow, direct and step-by-step tips on bettering one’s life.
S.J. Scott didn’t always have it together, but his experiences and run-ins with wall after wall, helped him stop and analyze his life and why things were going wrong. It was in that time that he figured out and put down in writing many of the lessons that he had learned during all of those years. And things began turning around for him. He started applying his discoveries and is now sharing them through his books.
How S.J. Scott Targets Habits
Habits are everything. They dictate where our lives will go. We can have great habits, good habits, ok habits, bad habits, horrible habits and even no habits! And every single kind will take your life in a different direction. Imagine waking up every morning to go for a run. What would your life look like? Imagine waking up every morning for a smoke instead of exercising. What would your life look like then?
Our habits aren’t only things that we do or don’t do, but they are also things that we speak and things that we think. They are in every single part of our lives!
I use habit formation as one of the foundations when coaching my clients and I read all that I can on the topic of habits. In his books, S.J. Scott tells us how to declutter our minds, how to stop procrastinating, and his most popular book (and my personal favorite) Habit Staking, along with many other helpful topics.
I really think that he has hit the nail in the head by targeting habits in our lives because, in many cases, they are the root of many problems we encounter in life. I never realized how my advanced degrees in Computer Science would come full circle, from major corporate IT clients, to coaching individuals about creating both success and happiness via the avenue of habits. My major study was Artificial Intelligence and Psychology (with Mathematics thrown in for fun) and how neural networks function has translated to my greater fascination with the brain and how it functions.
Happiness is a Habit
It’s true! The more we live in happiness, the more addictive it is, right?
In order to have more happiness in our lives, we have to develop happiness as a habit. How does S J Scott practice happiness? He writes! He loves writing and loving what he does for a living is a huge pathway to happiness.
One of S.J.’s biggest pieces of advice is to find good habits in our lives and be consistent in them. Consistency is key. His habit is to write for 30 minutes daily, rain or shine, vacation or work day. No matter what, he sets aside 30 minutes early in the day to write. He starts his day right, don’t you think?
But even successful authors and speakers need time off to kick back and relax. Everyone needs to take time to center themselves and reconnect with their personal joy and dreams. For S.J. Scott, when he isn’t writing, he spends time traveling the world, reading and exercising.
I love the idea of using Steve’s amazing habit system for eliminating a habit that doesn’t serve me. So far I’ve only used it to build a morning writing habit – which has been unbelievably successful.
That’s wonderful to hear Laura. Steve shares such bite size tips and habits – I love his ability to make something achievable!
HUH – I’ll have to look into Habit Stacking. I am currently reading Charles Duhigg’s The Power of Habit and it’s so interesting!
I just “signed up” with a newly made friend to be writing buddies–to meet once a month and report back to each other and what we did (or did not do) in terms of the goals we set. Our first goal is to write daily. It is so powerful–the writing daily and knowing there is someone out there who’ll be interested in whether you did it and where it’s leading.