Guess what defines a Human? Yes, you are right, Human’s are the creature of habits. Do you know that your habits decide your destiny? Good habit gives you motivation and helps you to achieve goals and succeed in life, quite in reverse bad habit will hold you back from achieving success in life.
Why habits can change your life?
Habits rank a base position in our life. If you are into bad habits the base position of ourselves will be weak which becomes a hurdle to lead a successful and happy life.
Yes, I agree many of us have tried to form a new positive habit but we fail to keep up that is because we try a plethora of new positive complex habit in a very short time, instead start with a simple micro habit which helps to transform your life.
To create a new habit you have to, first, find a simple activation signal, and then, clearly define the reward. For example, putting on your running shoes at the moment you get home after work, may help to create the habit of jogging. The reward could be the satisfaction that exercise produces by itself, or having a beer while watching a TV show that you like.
Normally, choosing a signal and setting a reward is not enough. Otherwise it would be quite simple to exercise, eat healthy and get organized productively. What reinforces the signal-routine-reward loop is that there is a craving to get the reward. Sometimes, the fact of associating a signal to a reward makes you build that craving unconsciously. But other times you will have to figure out how to awaken that desire.
Habits never disappear. This is good, because you will remember how to ride a bicycle 10 years after your last ride. And it is bad, because you will remember the pleasure of cigarretes 10 years after quitting smoking. The problem is that your brain assimilates habits, but cannot tell which ones are good and which are bad.
You cannot eradicate a habit, but you can change it. And the change rule is simple: keeping the same signal and the same reward, you have to replace the routine by another. If you are aware of how your habit works, by identifying the activation signal and the desired reward, you can change the routine.
It is said that Alcoholics Anonymous works quite well, despite they are not following any rigorous scientific treatment. The treatment is based on changing habits (though alcoholism is more than a habit, an addiction). They force attendees to find the signals that make them drink (anxiety, sadness, etc.), recognize them and seek to obtain the same emotional reward otherwise: meetings, companionship, having someone to tell their problems…
According to the studies reviewed by Duhigg, the last ingredient that helps to convert a modified habit into a permanent behavior is to believe it will work. Skepticism is a bad teammate here. And to believe, it is very important the support of people—groups and communities—who have gone out there.
The simple addition of a craving could be what makes the difference between whether you get up and hit the gym, or hit snooze and bury yourself back under the sheets.
Cravings drive habits. The reason behind why habits are so powerful is because they actually create neurological cravings. And figuring out what sparks your cravings is what can make creating a habit easier for you.
Actionable insight:
- Think of a habit you want to create, and write it down.
- Next, think of your cue. Write it down.
- Now, think of your reward. Write it down.
- Finally, remember to make sure the reward is something you’ll be able to crave or anticipate as you create this new habit.
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