From the desk of Signature Parking Founder & CEO Michael Holmstrom. The Weekly Drive is a collection of company news, ideas & inspiration that can drive us all to be better humans.
Signature Updates
Your Opinion counts and we still want to hear from you! We’ve only had 4 team members complete the survey. Please take a few minutes to complete our employee engagement survey. This can and should be completed on the clock, so no reason not to do it! Please help us out today and take a few minutes to complete the survey!
Signature Moments
A new Trip Advisor review for the team at The SHAY Hotel in Culver City:
WOW!! Great Customer Service. The Shay exceeded all my expectations. The moment I checked in I was greeted by 3 of the kindest front desk staff. They allowed me to check in and accommodated my request for a quiet room away from the elevators… I used valet and I was blown away by the customer service and how quick they were to bring my car. I’ll definitely be back as this is my new LA hotel. Thank you Shay
Insights
When the pandemic hit and we were all cooped up at home, I decided to buy some home gym equipment and began working out in my garage two or three days a week. I bought a squat rack, a barbell, weight plates, kettlebells, and resistance bands. I got a kick out of watching the Amazon delivery man carry 50lb dumbells to my door. This period marked the beginning of a daily exercise habit I created, cultivated, and proudly maintain to this day. I’ve achieved great results which were the product of establishing and maintaining a tiny habit and building on it over time. But getting there wasn’t so easy. The previous twenty-five years included more canceled gym memberships than I care to recount. I was your classic New Year’s resolution gym member full of motivation and ready to tackle the world in January, only to disappear before Memorial Day. I desperately wanted to build muscle and look fit, but despite all the motivation in the world, I just couldn’t stick with it. With the Pandemic, I stumbled upon one of the 1st laws of building habits as outlined in Atomic Habits by James Clear,… “Make it Easy”. Human beings are biologically wired to take the path of least resistance. By setting up a gym in my garage, I reduced the time and effort it required to drive to the gym and eliminated a major friction point that often helped me avoid working out. With a gym 20 steps from my bedroom, I no longer had an excuse. I also did other things to support my new habit. I started small, 30 minutes a day 2-3 days a week, eventually building up to 70-minute workouts, 5 days a week. I found a program to follow and I tracked my progress. I paired my workouts with listening to podcasts to make them more enjoyable. I forced myself to never ever miss two workouts in a row; if I missed one, I immediately got back on track the next day. As my habits compounded and my appearance changed over time, I started seeing myself in a new light – and my own identity changed. I saw myself as a bodybuilder and no longer viewed myself as someone who was weak and out of shape. This was the biggest shift of all. My motivation was now fueled by my new identity and less by external motivators which are harder to maintain. By the end of the year, I had only missed three workouts and my new habit was firmly established. The outcome was 10 pounds of new lean muscle mass, a more fit appearance, and most importantly, a new identity.
“The ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity”
I’ve started to notice that almost all of the most successful people I admire rely on a foundation of healthy habits. They all prioritize sleep, they rise early, they exercise, they do some form of journaling and self-reflection practice, they eat healthy, and above all, they prioritize relationships with other human beings. My success with creating this new habit has me excited to see where else in my life I can apply these newfound principles.
Leveling Up
Part of leveling up includes not just building new healthy habits, but breaking bad ones. Even our bad habits serve a purpose. We get something out of them otherwise we wouldn’t engage in them. Most bad habits are caused by Stress and Boredom. The best way to get rid of them is to not just eliminate them but replace them with healthier habits.
For example, maybe you are too hard on yourself and engage in negative self-talk. A common solution is to notice every time you are beating yourself up over something, to stop and imagine someone you love and care about, and ask yourself, “Would I say these things to them?” This new replacement behavior (habit) will help you reduce negative self-talk and have more compassion for yourself.
Exercise is one of the most popular replacement habits for people who struggle with drinking or smoking too much. Start small by dropping to the floor and doing 20 pushups every time you feel the urge to smoke or drink.
Challenge: Think of your top 1-2 bad habits that you want to change and then think of a healthier replacement behavior that will help you meet the need that is causing you to engage in the bad habit in the first place.
Read: How to break a bad habit and replace it with a good one (James Clear)
Do you have a habit success story? Please share by replying to this email!
Quotes worth pondering
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.
– Gandhi
Reach Out! I love to hear from our team members. Please feel free to reply to this email with any thoughts, feedback, or ideas for discussion.