A unique lesson from Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg, explained simply and practically:
Behavior Comes from Emotion, Not Motivation
One of the most powerful lessons in Tiny Habits is that you don’t need high motivation to change your life. Instead, lasting habits are built by designing behaviors that feel easy and emotionally rewarding.
BJ Fogg explains that motivation is unreliable—it goes up and down. If a habit depends on feeling motivated, it will eventually fail. The real key is to make the habit so small that it requires almost no effort, and then celebrate immediately after doing it. That celebration creates a positive emotion, and emotion is what wires the habit into your brain.
For example, instead of aiming to exercise for 30 minutes, start with one push-up. After doing it, smile, say “I did it!”, or feel proud. This tiny emotional win trains your brain to want to repeat the behavior.
Over time, these small habits naturally grow. You don’t force growth—it happens organically because success feels good.