If you think that you need more motivation or more willpower to stick to your goals, then I have good news. You don't.

Most of us acknowledge that the people who surround us influence our behaviors, but the connection between the items that surround us and our behaviors is less obvious.

The truth is that the signs you read, the things that are on your desk at work, the pictures hanging on your wall at home are all pieces of your environment that can trigger you to take different actions - regardless of how motivated you feel.

When I wanted to start flossing consistently, one of the most useful changes I made was taking the floss out of the drawer and keeping it next to my toothbrush on the counter. It sounds like a silly thing to focus on, but the visual cue of seeing the floss every time I brushed my teeth meant that I didn't have to remember to pull it out of the drawer.

With this simple environment change, I made it easy to do the new habit and I didn't need more willpower or motivation to do it.