Do you know that the most powerful driver of your actions and behaviors is your habits? Do you also know that if you don't make the effort to understand your habits and work out how to use them to your advantage you will never be able to achieve the success you want? That may sound harsh, but it's also true.
Are you aware of the fact that the actions and behaviors you engage in every day are merely a result of your established habits? You may believe that (for example) how you interact with your family and friends, how often you exercise, how much television you watch, what you eat every day, what activities you enjoy, and virtually everything you do are a result of a conscious decision you are making - but they're not! They are all a result of your habits. Consequently, it would be fair to say that your habits are dictating your life - for better or for worse!
Your habits are called upon when your behavior becomes automatic and the decision-making process is not required. Your brain will convert a series of actions in to what is known as a routine. These routines are happening all the time without you being aware of them. For example, how to make your bed, how to bathe yourself, how to get dressed, how to pack your bag, how to feed yourself and how to get to the bus stop to get to school or work are not actions you need to re-learn each day. You just do them on autopilot don't you? So what makes these routines develop?
There are three things that are required to form a habit. They are a cue (for example, "I feel hungry"), a routine (for example, "Time to eat a cookie") and a reward (for example, "I'm full and satisfied"). When you go through these three steps a number of times you will have created a habit loop for yourself.
The problem with habit loops is that habits don't always help you. In fact they regularly make things harder for you! You see, your brain understands the cue, the routine and the reward, but it doesn't know whether the habit you are creating is good or bad for you. To the brain it's merely a cue, a routine and a reward - and the response is always automatic.
But unfortunately the bad news doesn't end there. Habits are actually powerful enough to overrule everything - including your common sense and your conscious thought. So, if you have a smoking addiction and want to quit but "can't" stop, it's because your habits are overriding your desire to quit. The cue keeps coming up (in this case it could be "I am stressed out or I need a cigarette or I need a nicotine hit") and a routine and reward must always follow the cue. The habit loop must be closed or the cue will get stronger and stronger.
The good news is that now that you understand habit loops and how habits emerge you can use that information to your advantage! If you can identify your routines and loops you can also easily identify the solution. You see, the golden rule of habits is that by changing only the routine (thereby leaving the cue and reward the same) you can forever transform the habit.
So, the answer to habit transformation simply lies in altering the routine. You still have the cue (in this case, "I feel hungry") and the reward ("I'm satisfied") but the routine must change. In this case the routine must no longer be "I will eat a cookie", but instead it needs to be something healthier such as "I will eat an apple" or "I will drink a big glass of water and then see if I still feel hungry". And that's really all there is too it! Do you think that's something you can master?
Clearly this example is a simplified version of how the habit loop works. But nonetheless, being able to master shifting your routine will completely change your life. Habits loops exist everywhere when you look for them. If you look for them you will notice a cue, a routine and a reward. You will also notice habits that are helping you and habits that are harming you. But you now know that the transformation of a habit relies solely on changing the routine.
Now that you understand habits and how to transform them it is up to you to do something about yours. If you want more time, change your routines. If you want better results, change your routines. If you want to get fit, change your routines. If you want more money, change your routines. You have now been shown that you have total control over your actions and it's up to you to get to work on those habits that aren't helping you. Don't forget that your habits will undoubtedly determine your success. So what are you going to do about it? Good luck!
Are you aware of the fact that the actions and behaviors you engage in every day are merely a result of your established habits? You may believe that (for example) how you interact with your family and friends, how often you exercise, how much television you watch, what you eat every day, what activities you enjoy, and virtually everything you do are a result of a conscious decision you are making - but they're not! They are all a result of your habits. Consequently, it would be fair to say that your habits are dictating your life - for better or for worse!
Your habits are called upon when your behavior becomes automatic and the decision-making process is not required. Your brain will convert a series of actions in to what is known as a routine. These routines are happening all the time without you being aware of them. For example, how to make your bed, how to bathe yourself, how to get dressed, how to pack your bag, how to feed yourself and how to get to the bus stop to get to school or work are not actions you need to re-learn each day. You just do them on autopilot don't you? So what makes these routines develop?
There are three things that are required to form a habit. They are a cue (for example, "I feel hungry"), a routine (for example, "Time to eat a cookie") and a reward (for example, "I'm full and satisfied"). When you go through these three steps a number of times you will have created a habit loop for yourself.
The problem with habit loops is that habits don't always help you. In fact they regularly make things harder for you! You see, your brain understands the cue, the routine and the reward, but it doesn't know whether the habit you are creating is good or bad for you. To the brain it's merely a cue, a routine and a reward - and the response is always automatic.
But unfortunately the bad news doesn't end there. Habits are actually powerful enough to overrule everything - including your common sense and your conscious thought. So, if you have a smoking addiction and want to quit but "can't" stop, it's because your habits are overriding your desire to quit. The cue keeps coming up (in this case it could be "I am stressed out or I need a cigarette or I need a nicotine hit") and a routine and reward must always follow the cue. The habit loop must be closed or the cue will get stronger and stronger.
The good news is that now that you understand habit loops and how habits emerge you can use that information to your advantage! If you can identify your routines and loops you can also easily identify the solution. You see, the golden rule of habits is that by changing only the routine (thereby leaving the cue and reward the same) you can forever transform the habit.
So, the answer to habit transformation simply lies in altering the routine. You still have the cue (in this case, "I feel hungry") and the reward ("I'm satisfied") but the routine must change. In this case the routine must no longer be "I will eat a cookie", but instead it needs to be something healthier such as "I will eat an apple" or "I will drink a big glass of water and then see if I still feel hungry". And that's really all there is too it! Do you think that's something you can master?
Clearly this example is a simplified version of how the habit loop works. But nonetheless, being able to master shifting your routine will completely change your life. Habits loops exist everywhere when you look for them. If you look for them you will notice a cue, a routine and a reward. You will also notice habits that are helping you and habits that are harming you. But you now know that the transformation of a habit relies solely on changing the routine.
Now that you understand habits and how to transform them it is up to you to do something about yours. If you want more time, change your routines. If you want better results, change your routines. If you want to get fit, change your routines. If you want more money, change your routines. You have now been shown that you have total control over your actions and it's up to you to get to work on those habits that aren't helping you. Don't forget that your habits will undoubtedly determine your success. So what are you going to do about it? Good luck!
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