I know, I know: Some of you are getting ants in your pants. You don’t want to do your ridiculously unambitious tiny habit, you want to DO MORE. I get it.

Once you feel the pull of your unambitious habit—you feel yourself automatically heading to the treadmill or changing your shoes for a walk at lunch—take another baby step. Walk for an additional block or watch one more YouTube video from the elliptical machine. And then every few days — once you are good and antsy again, and it feels easy-peasy, add a little tiny something else to your habit. (Like one more block, not like 20 minutes.)

Remember that if you resist the urge to be more ambitious or do more, you’ll increase your odds of being successful over the long haul. And while it might feel a bit frustrating to think that after ten weeks of exercising every morning, increasing by only three minutes a week, you’ll be exercising for only thirty minutes a morning—maybe not quite enough to lose that extra twenty pounds you’ve been meaning to get rid of—consider that you’ve gained three uber-important things.

First, you will have gotten yourself in the habit of exercising! This is everything your doctor ever wanted for you.

Second, you will be getting thirty more minutes of exercise every day (several hours a week) than eleven weeks ago; this is something that your body loves you for. It is enough to give you more energy, help you sleep better, and give you a little hit of human growth hormone—all things that will make you feel younger, smarter, and more alive. So YAY YOU!

And third, you will have shown yourself that you can get into a habit and stick with it. The sky’s the limit now!

What To Do Today

Task #1: Use the page titled “Expand (Really, Really) Slowly” in your workbook to think through ways you can expand the habit you’ve been working on.

Task #2: Take your (very slightly) expanded exercise habit for a spin. Does it still feel super easy?