[This is the third of three blog posts on James Clear's Atomic Habits[:] An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones (New York, NY:  Penguin Random House, 2018).]

 As we conclude this series on habits, let’s go back to some of the basics. Habits are easier to perform, and more satisfying to stick with, when they align with your natural inclinations and abilities.” [218] “The key is to direct your effort toward areas that both excite you and match your natural abilities, to align your ambition with your ability.” [219]

 “Habits need to be enjoyable if they are going to stick.” [222] “Our genes do not eliminate the need for hard work. They clarify it. They tell us what to work hard on.” [226] “The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right.” [231]

 This is a very significant point: “The greatest threat to success is not failure but boredom.” “The only way to become excellent is to be endlessly fascinated by doing the same thing over and over. You have to fall in love with boredom.” [236] “When you know the simple movements so well that you can perform them without thinking, you are free to pay attention to more advanced details. In this way habits are the backbone of any pursuit of excellence.” [239]

 Habit + Deliberate Practice = Mastery. [240] “Improvement is not just about learning habits, it’s also about fine-tuning them.  Reflection and review ensure that you spend your time on the right things and make course corrections whenever necessary…” [245]

 “The more you let a single belief define you, the less capable you are of adapting when life challenges you.” [248] “The holy grail of habit change is not a single 1 percent improvement, but a thousand of them. It’s a bunch of atomic habits stacking up, each one a fundamental unit of the overall system.” [251]

 In short, Clear’s book on atomic habit is well worth reading and applying. It is among the few books that could change the way you act.