Small Habits to start your day: Are they correlated with Success and Abundance?
In my 35 years of travels, from work, visiting places and meeting people of all walks of life, I had the pleasure of meeting some very interesting people that have given me words of wisdom along the way.
There was one person that made a lasting impression, whose advice I still value today. He’s a navy veteran that traveled to many parts of the world on deployments. Simply put, he gave me advice to start each day by making my bed to kickstart my day, and to watch other areas of my life fall into place.
I wanted to to dig deeper to see if there are 5 habits to start the day, and if there is a correlation, statistically, with financial freedom, career advancement and other positive milestones in life.
On my journey, I discovered what are known as ‘keystone habits’, and started to implement them into my daily life.
So many are out there on the grind and looking to improve in their daily lives, so I wanted to feature an article about these “keystone habits”, or “small wins” that others may refer to them as. Let’s dive in!
The science behind Keystone Habits:
What seems like small, unimportant habits, or steps that we as humans take on a daily basis, actually can add up to the results we’re looking for, and the opposite can also happen (stay tuned for articles on ‘the compound effect’).
Focusing on small, micro “wins” in our lives are really building blocks to the bigger end result we’re after – whether it’s improved fitness, healthier relationships, career advancement, and every thing else. Where our lives currently stand are indicators of our habits, the choices that we’ve made over time. Stay tuned for future articles about how to adopt the right mindset to chase after your goals and dreams.
The concept of keystone habits has been widely publicized in popular personal development books, like “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg. I highly recommend checking out those two books for your personal development journey.
For more about keystone habits, the concept, benefits, as well as a study that proves the science behind it, here’s an article from Psychology Today:
The Positive Ripple Effects of Keystone Habits
5 Habits to Start Your Day (My Recommendations)
- Making your bed right after waking up: this is a great “win” right off the bat to start the day, and I find that it sets the tone for the rest of the day. It also gives me a good sense of accomplishment knowing that I’ve had my first win.
- Exercise: even if it’s just a 20-30 minute walk, exercise can be a good confidence booster, and it also stimulates endorphins. I find that a consistent exercise routine also encourages a consistent healthy diet.
- Reading or learning something that aligns with your interests: not only does this give me a sense of accomplishment, but I find it opens my mind up to other ideas and perspectives. It’s a great way to keep the brain active and help and spark critical thinking.
- Setting a cleaning routine: Living in a clean space is a good feeling in itself, but I also find that having a cleaning routine to be very therapeutic. It’s nice to just turn the music on and go. This is also a great active meditation activity.
- Other miscellaneous tasks: there are tons and tons of helpful tasks anyone can use in their life as keystone habits, literally anything that is positive or productive. Personally, I used to only floss once per day, but I’ve now increased to two times, morning and bedtime.
It’s the small wins in your life that not only will help as building blocks for your greater goals, but also serve as a positive reinforcement so you can say “yes, I did that. I’m on my way”, because you are – you’re well on your way!
The Correlation Between Small Habits and Success and Abundance
By now you’re probably wondering what these micro habits have to do with personal development, so here’s the simple breakdown:
Dr. BJ Fogg, a researcher from Stanford University, developed a model, now known as the Fogg behavior model, which proves that behavior occurs when a prompt, motivation and ability are in alignment. What was found is that there is an 85% success rate of micro habits (or keystone habits, whichever you prefer) because they require very little motivation and ability.
Using this breakdown, there is a dopamine effect that is triggered when a micro habit, or task, is achieved. This dopamine effect is then hardwired into your subconscious over time, signaling that that the action was beneficial.
Over time, your brain will recognize that the action/s as rewarding. The dopamine effect will eventually be something your mind seeks, and that’s how habits are formed.
If you think about it, personal development requires a mindset that will allow for positive reinforcement and room for growth and improvement, so when your brain receives a signal that you’re capable after completing a micro habit, then this is where the magic can begin to happen. As I said earlier – you’re well on your way!
Wrap – Up
I touched on both the psychology and science behind keystone habits, or small wins, and how implementing even the seemingly unimportant habits to your life can serve as the foundation you need to work towards to your desired goals in life.
With the sense of accomplishment and confidence boost that comes from daily micro habit formation, your brain is actually having a dopamine effect, and over time your subconscious mind will recognize the daily habits as rewarding, giving you leverage to keep building towards the bigger goals you have on your journey. Keep making it happen, captain.
–Cheers!
References:
Atomic Habits
Clear, J. (2018). Atomic habits: An easy & proven way to build good habits & break bad ones. Avery. ISBN 978-0735211292.
The Power of Habit
Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House. ISBN 978-1400069286.
Drinko, C. (2026, January 2). The positive ripple effects of keystone habits: Just one positive change can make all the difference. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/play-your-way-sane/202512/the-positive-ripple-effects-of-keystone-habits
Fogg, B. J. (n.d.). Fogg Behavior Model. Behavior Model. https://www.behaviormodel.org/