It has become more popular these days to talk about changing habits. It seems we have finally come to understand that our behavior does come down to our habits.
So, all we have to do is just change, right?
Well, it’s not that simple.
It’s one thing to WANT to make lasting changes to our lifestyles. It’s another thing to actually DO IT.
In order to make these lasting changes, you know, habits that stick, we need to understand a few things.
First you need to understand your own human nature. And that means being aware that all habits have a certain structure. I call that the “Anatomy of Habits”.
All habits have the following elements:
- Trigger
- Craving
- Routine
- Reward
Once you understand that, it becomes obvious that in order to change a habit you have to work each of those elements.
But that does take some work, so the next thing you have to be aware of is WHY you want to make this lasting change in the first place.
You need to have a strong “why” for it.
Because changing is not easy we need to have a strong reason for this change. Not just one reason, lots of them. List out some short-term “whys” and some long term “whys”.
The “whys” are essentially what is motivating you.
Then, and this is really, really important, you have to know the difference between starting a new habit and stopping an old habit.
Either way, when changing a habit you have to work each element of the habit.
But when you start a new habit, you are trying to INCREASE the triggers and when you stop a habit you are trying to DECREASE the triggers.
This is a big distinction!
AND
When you are starting a new habit you are trying to BUILD the craving to do the habit (aka routine). But when you are stopping a habit you are trying to BREAK DOWN the craving to engage in the habit.
In both cases, you do want to try to make small, tiny, tiny, changes to the actual routine (aka habit) so that it is easier for you to change and you can reduce the need for willpower.
And of course, you’ll want to give yourself lots of rewards when you do the new habit or don’t do the old habit.
See!?
There is a process to this.
It is not some willy-nilly wishful thinking.
There is a structure.
When you respect and understand how your brain works (ie: your human nature), you can systematically change things with little to no pain!!
How awesome is that?!
You are not helpless in the face of habits. You CAN change them!
If you are trying to lose weight and struggling with staying on track and/or not knowing what to do I invite you to get on a free strategy call with me. We will go over your current goals and challenges and I will give you my professional opinion on what your best next steps should be.
