5 Subtle Habits That Quietly Transform Your Life Over Time

Imagine you’ve been taking inventory of all the actions and habits that have been building up in your life over the past few weeks, and you realize something important: 

Even though you’ve had the odd slip up here and there, in general, you’re moving exactly in the direction of your dreams. 

Can you imagine how exciting it would feel to discover that? It’s not too late to start laying down the build blocks of a life that you’re truly proud to call your own. 

Here are 10 subtle habits that quietly transform your life over time:

1. Setting intentions

There’s a quote I like that says “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.”

I love that quote because it highlights that there’s a level of deliberate thought and intention that’s required when designing a life you love. 

In order to be able to work towards the things you want, you first need to know what you want.

It may seem like a no-brainer, but the fact is most people are aware of exactly what they do not want, but they have not devoted the same level of intention and thought into deciding what they do want.

A simple but effective habit you can develop is spending some time each day to visualize what your dream life would look like. 

In particular, take some time to think of what an “ordinary” day in your dream life would look like. Not a day when you’re on vacation or doing something out of the blue.

This is where the gold lies. It will help you determine what is truly important to you.

2. Reading more

Another quote I like states that a person who does not read has no advantage over a person that cannot read.

Devote yourself to the life of an intellectual: read more, write more. It truly enriches your life. 

When I look back at the most joyful periods of time in my life, they are usually periods where I’ve been engrossed in a good book. 

Sometimes – as many avid readers can relate – you get so caught up in a good book that you feel sad when the book ends. 

The true value of reading lies in being able to live multiple lifetimes in one – by opening yourself up to the perspectives of others and the lessons they have learned. 

This applies whether you read fiction or non fiction. 

Setting aside a few minutes before you go to bed or when you wake up in the morning to read a few pages or a couple of chapters of a good book will do wonders for your personal development in the long run.

3. Increasing volume

How many times do you typically try at something before giving up?

Increasing volume is another subtle habit that will transform your life over time. 

Many people give up on things right before they become successful.

If they retook the exam one more time, they would have passed.

If they tried one more time at business, they could have succeeded. 

The thing is, in life, you never really start from scratch again after the first time you start from scratch. 

Each subsequent attempt carries experience and lessons from the previous attempt that increase your chance of success. 

You just have to keep going: produce more work, do more volume. 

So if you want to see bigger and better results in the next few weeks and months – aim to do 10x the volume you would usually do. 

You never know your potential until you push past what you previously thought possible. You might surprise yourself. Big time. 

3. Tracking what works

There is another key habit that goes hand in hand with increasing volume – tracking what works. 

As you increase volume, you need to make sure your efforts are not wasting.

To do this, you need to narrow down on the specific actions that are yielding the best results. 

For example, if you’re a content creator, is there a specific type of post that is getting you the most views? If so, keep doing more of those. 

If you’re a business owner, is there a specific package or offering that clients are most attracted to? Then focus on that in your marketing. 

If you’re in a relationship, do you notice a specific way of communicating with your partner or spouse that helps to prevent conflict or de-escalate it if it arises?

Make it a habit to double down on this and communicate with your partner in a way that will make your relationship thrive. 

What gets measured gets managed. 

Some things are quantitatively easier to measure like numbers and metrics, but you can also measure things qualitatively, especially when it comes to outcomes in interpersonal relationships or things that compound over a longer time period. 

It’s about being more observant, and making sure that everything you do is getting you closer to your goals, not further from them.

5. Trying your thoughts again

A subtle habit that will absolutely change your life is paying more attention to the way you speak to yourself. 

The quality of your life is determined by your self-concept, which is the way you see yourself and think about yourself. 

Every time you notice a negative thought creeping in, actively choose to replace it with a more productive, useful thought. 

I like to call this “trying your thought again”, because it’s giving yourself a chance to “re-do” a thought that does not serve you in the long run.

For example, instead:

Try: 

Instead of: 

Try: 

• In what areas of my life do I need to choose myself more?

Instead of: 

• Nothing is working out for me

Try: 

• I know everything is working out for me, even if I can’t see how right now. I’m excited to see how everything works out for me.

Each substitution is an energetic upgrade, because it improves the situations and opportunities you attract into your life as a result of the change in thought pattern. 

Although you might have to put in effort to do this initially, as you do it more, it will become a pattern. 

Once constructive thinking becomes a pattern in your life, you will watch your life transform from one where you feel out of control, to a life where you feel centered, grateful, and confident in the future, even when surrounded by uncertainty. 

Final Thoughts

These were just a few subtle habits that will transform your life over time. Although they may seem simple, success is often found in the tiny things we do repeatedly, rather than grand, one-off actions.

I’ve personally found the habits above incredibly useful for creating a life that positively compounds and grows more abundant over time. Which one are you excited to implement first? You can choose one, or choose all five, but whatever you do, start today.

To your success, 

Roli Edema

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