Nothing beats learning from your own experience.
A client of mine got sick. When he came back, we looked at what habits stuck with him, and what fell aside. And it became obvious to him that habits have a lot more to do with the systems he puts together than with his discipline or motivation.
One habit stayed solid: eating enough protein.
One habit collapsed: drinking enough water.
Same person. Same goals. Same level of discipline.
Different systems = Different outcomes.
He kept hitting his protein target because the weekend before, he had prepped all the chicken for the week. Bought it. Cooked it. Put it in containers. So when lunchtime came and he thought about snacking, he remembered: there’s chicken waiting. Ready. Easy. Already prepped. Plus he didn't want to waste it.
So he ate it.
Water didn’t survive the disruption.
His usual trigger, workouts and being out and about, vanished when he got sick. He was home. No gym. No structured breaks. No bottle in sight. No cue.
Nothing was “wrong” with him.
The right system wasn't there.
When we unpacked it, he saw something important: his daily behaviors had far less to do with motivation than he thought.
Protein worked because it was prepped and easy.
Water failed because it wasn’t properly designed for times like this.
So we redesigned it.
We stacked water with meals, the one rhythm already working. Bottle always visible. Always filled. No thinking required.
Same person. Same goals. Same level of discipline.
Different systems = Different outcomes.
If you plant the same seed in 2 kinds of soil —
One with sun, water, nutrients.
One in dry, shaded ground.
Do you expect the same plant?
We love to blame the seed.
But most of the time, it’s the soil.
Humans aren’t plants but most of our behaviors are surprisingly environmental.
Over to you, dear reader,
Next time, when you question your discipline (or someone else's), ask a better question:
What system does this behavior need to succeed?
What habit keeps “failing” you right now, and what would change if you stopped fixing you and started designing the soil?
