By now, you’re probably aware of a lot of things that don’t feel natural to you. 

Perhaps, like me, you’re not naturally good at cooking.

Or maybe growing up, you weren’t naturally good at sports. 

But everyone has those things that they’ve been naturally inclined to since they could remember. 

My little brother has always been naturally inclined towards cars, having collected hundreds of Hot Wheels throughout childhood and becoming a certified car mechanic at the age of 17.

Whereas I’ve always been inclined to be a hard worker and diligent with the tasks I had to complete…

…now, wait a minute…if you believed me for even one second that I’ve been naturally inclined to those things my whole life, then you’re sadly mistaken!

Have you ever noticed that things that now come second nature to you were once things you had to force yourself to do? 

That things you know like the back of your hand were once foreign subjects to you?

What is now familiar was once strange. Second, nature doesn’t come naturally. 

Why Second Nature Isn’t Natural 

As an egotistical human, there are things I have wanted to come naturally to me that don’t. 

I quickly learned that although some things don’t come naturally, I can practice and discipline my way into them becoming second nature.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t trying to become an Olympic basketball player at the height of 5’4. But I was trying to form myself into a mold of what I envision greatness to be.

To me, greatness looks like hard work, consistency, and self-discipline. It sounds like honesty and integrity. And it feels like confidence and humility. 

Have hard work, consistency, self-discipline, honesty, integrity, confidence, and humility always come naturally to me? Psh…of course! All seven of them are perfectly natural... 

I knew that although these things didn’t come naturally, after years of practice and consistency, they could one day be natural to me. So that’s what I started to do. 

Fast Forward

Fast forward to today and most of these things are like second nature to me at this point. 

The greatest investment I spent to make these things become second nature was my time. 

If I could put some sort of time frame to this, I would say that I really started to focus on making these habits second nature during my sophomore year of high school. 

That was well over six years ago. 

But now I reap the rewards of having all seven traits, which is second nature to me.

Are there days when I struggle with confidence? Of course! Do I know the strategies I can use to pull myself up and fake it until I make it? Yes.

Because six years of consistent practice at a few things does that. 

What really determines if something is going to become second nature to you is whether or not you choose to do something when it would be easier not to.

It’s easy to practice honesty when the truth is good. It’s hard to be honest when the truth is bad or you know it will hurt someone else or (and especially) yourself. 

It’s easy to have high integrity when others are looking. But can you hold yourself to that same level of integrity when you’re the only one in the room?

Situations like this are what make or break your ability to form a characteristic or skill that is second nature to you. 

Real Talk

Things that don’t come naturally to you can become like second nature through time, practice, and consistent effort. 

You have to want something badly enough to put in this work. It has to be worth your time and effort in the long run. 

But know that if there is a trait or skill you desire in yourself, you can make it happen. And you can make it seem like it comes naturally to you. 

And also remember that the things that are like second nature to you now, at some point probably weren’t. This goes to show that there is purpose and benefit in working to make something like second nature. 

Second nature isn’t natural, but through time and diligence, it can become just that.