How Habits Compound: Constructive vs Destructive Habits

I turned 40 last year. I’m not old, but to stay I’m still young would be in breach of trading standards.

As a result of going round the sun a few more times, I’ve started to notice some inescapable truths about building good habits in life.

Let’s roll back the clock

When you’re 20, and you’re chatting with your friends about beliefs, plans for the future, good habits and lifestyle choices, it all seems fair game. No one is really any further ahead than anyone else at that stage, and any advantages/disadvantages are often fairly minor.

Ridiculous example: I remember meeting someone at university in my halls, and he could drive and had his own car! Coming from Hong Kong (where I was born and raised), where even successful businessmen often didn’t drive or own their own car, he seemed like he was miles ahead!

At this stage, it’s all just banter. We don’t have the evidence for whose views and opinions of living a good and productive life will actually win out.

Time rolls on

Even by 25-30, there’s some differences, but it’s not too stark or determinative.

– Many have found good jobs, they’ve got into different fitness hobbies, tried different diets, etc.
– Some have married off, maybe even some have divorced by this stage…
– Some have tried their hand at running their own business, some have done well, others have failed and gone back to employment…
– Some are looking in shape, maybe nursing a few injuries, but no matter we still can’t call whose habits are stacking up into the positive yet.

Fear not – there’s still plenty of time to recover, still plenty of time to see whose approach to life will bear fruit .. after all, they’re only broaching 30.

40 Rolls Around

But by 40, you start to see the fruit of said habits. That’s not to say it’s game over, 40 is just a number after all… but what was a 100% uncertainty of the future is no longer completely shrouded in mystery. By now, the future path is starting to emerge through the fog – for better or for worse.

By 40, you can see the consequences of health choices, behavioural choices, financial choices, relationship or spousal choices and how they compound for or against people.

Those who have adopted constructive habits are pulling ahead quite remarkably, it almost seems exponential. Yet sadly, the reverse is also true for those who have adopted less constructive habits. Not only is there an absence of that same fruit, but there is sometimes a pronounced lack of upward trajectory.

Please note, I’m not writing this to look down on anyone. This is purely an observation about how life plays out. Some of you who are a bit older will know exactly what I mean. Some of you who are a bit younger haven’t seen this play out yet. The focus I want to draw your attention to is how this generally plays out not through singular, massively wrong decisions, but a myriad of small sub-optimal choices that compound over decades.

Compounding of Habits

There is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein:

“Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. Those who understand it get paid by it. Those who don’t, pay it.”

Like many wonderful aphorisms, there’s no real evidence Einstein said this. But the truth still holds, not just in the world of finance/investing, but in real world habits.

Every time we choose to engage in a constructive action, however small, we are doing the equivalent of saving and investing in our future selves. Doing these little compounding activities every day doesn’t just add, it multiplies exponentially, compounding in our favour.

The reverse is also true. Every time we engage in a destructive action, or even just a “less constructive” action, we are putting that less helpful action in the bank, which compounds against us into the future.

How on earth does this relate to voice?

While this is a big topic, and I think it cross-applies to so many areas of life, I’ve been preaching this for singing and vocal training for years.

If someone chooses to practice for just 5-15 minutes, every few days, and only engages in the most constructive actions that they can – their voice will go incredibly far.

If someone chooses to not practice, or just fling themselves at the songs day after day, it doesn’t really matter how gifted they are to start – they are banking those less constructive actions, and it eventually compounds, and derails them.

This is why so many singers, gifted with incredible voices from youth end up with severe vocal issues later on. It’s not they weren’t capable, it’s that their less constructive habits compounded against them.

It’s like a wealthy heir inheriting a huge estate from birth, then frittering it away every day because they thought they could never run out. They never learned the habit of self-control, and so when their fruit came to bear, it was all gone.

Yet this is also why many singers with lesser capacity go on to great things and great success. It’s the compounding of good habits that build to something greater – like Ronald Read, the petrol station attendant who simply saved and invested a little every day, and became a multi-millionaire through simple, repeatable, constructive actions.

Please note, I am not reducing the worth or capacity of someone to acquired wealth as their sole determining value – merely using his actions as a strong example.

Conclusion

Ultimately, I simply want to state the obvious. Every action you take, whether in relation to voice or otherwise, is another brick in the wall for where you’re going to end up. I’m not saying every action is definitive, I’m simply pointing out the compounding power of actions and habit. Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote:

“Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow a character, reap a destiny.”

I primarily hope this makes you want to engage constructively with your singing and singing practice, though I hope this also makes you realise that every action you engage in really does add up.