Get ready to be hit between the eyes. Your habits dictate your entire existence. Wham! Your habits determine whether you will be a success or a failure. Double wham! So, are you interested in finding out how to change your habits and start using them to become successful?
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!
Habits occur when we stop making "decisions" and our behavior become automatic. This happens when the brain converts a sequence of actions into an automatic routine. We have hundreds of these routines that we rely on every day. For example, how to brush your teeth, how to get dressed, how to use your cell phone, how to drive a car, how to make a sandwich (how to do absolutely anything!) You don't have to re-learn how to do these things each day - you just do them automatically! But how do the routines emerge?
There are three elements required to create a routine that creates a habit. They are: cue (such as "I'm hungry"), routine (such as "I'll eat a cookie") and reward ("I'm full and content"). When anyone passes through this sequence enough times (cue, routine and reward) they will create a habit. This sequence is called the habit loop.
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 much worse than this, your habits actually override absolutely everything - including your "common sense". That's right; habits override common sense and will occur even if the habit is bad for you. In fact, even if it's killing you. Don't believe it? Just think of a smoker - they have formed a habit loop around smoking (cue - I need a nicotine hit, routine - I'll smoke a cigarette, reward - I no longer need a nicotine hit) and we all know that smoking kills you. Smokers know that smoking is killing them. But it doesn't matter. What matters most is that the habit is fulfilled. Pretty amazing isn't it?
But it's all not all bad news! There is some good news coming. Let's discuss how anyone can get control of their habits loops and start creating some really positive automatic behaviors. In order to transform a habit you must follow the "golden rule". The golden rule of habits tells us that all you need to do is change your habits and change your life is to change your routine. The cue and the reward will remain the same but the routine must change.
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?
In this case we have used a simple example of eating an apple instead of a cookie. This is obviously simplifying the habit. But the process is the same. The loop is always the same. There is a cue, a routine and a reward. Focus on changing your routine and you will transform your habit. It truly is that simple - and that difficult!
You now have enough information to recognize your habits and then make a purposeful decision to change them. To be a success you must have the habits of a successful person. Simply think about the cues, the routines and the rewards that are creating poor results for you - and then actively transform them! Good habits will completely change your life and your results. 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!
Habits occur when we stop making "decisions" and our behavior become automatic. This happens when the brain converts a sequence of actions into an automatic routine. We have hundreds of these routines that we rely on every day. For example, how to brush your teeth, how to get dressed, how to use your cell phone, how to drive a car, how to make a sandwich (how to do absolutely anything!) You don't have to re-learn how to do these things each day - you just do them automatically! But how do the routines emerge?
There are three elements required to create a routine that creates a habit. They are: cue (such as "I'm hungry"), routine (such as "I'll eat a cookie") and reward ("I'm full and content"). When anyone passes through this sequence enough times (cue, routine and reward) they will create a habit. This sequence is called the habit loop.
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 much worse than this, your habits actually override absolutely everything - including your "common sense". That's right; habits override common sense and will occur even if the habit is bad for you. In fact, even if it's killing you. Don't believe it? Just think of a smoker - they have formed a habit loop around smoking (cue - I need a nicotine hit, routine - I'll smoke a cigarette, reward - I no longer need a nicotine hit) and we all know that smoking kills you. Smokers know that smoking is killing them. But it doesn't matter. What matters most is that the habit is fulfilled. Pretty amazing isn't it?
But it's all not all bad news! There is some good news coming. Let's discuss how anyone can get control of their habits loops and start creating some really positive automatic behaviors. In order to transform a habit you must follow the "golden rule". The golden rule of habits tells us that all you need to do is change your habits and change your life is to change your routine. The cue and the reward will remain the same but the routine must change.
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?
In this case we have used a simple example of eating an apple instead of a cookie. This is obviously simplifying the habit. But the process is the same. The loop is always the same. There is a cue, a routine and a reward. Focus on changing your routine and you will transform your habit. It truly is that simple - and that difficult!
You now have enough information to recognize your habits and then make a purposeful decision to change them. To be a success you must have the habits of a successful person. Simply think about the cues, the routines and the rewards that are creating poor results for you - and then actively transform them! Good habits will completely change your life and your results. Good luck.
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