It's true. It takes about 30 days to change your habits: break old ones or get new ones. For e.g. if you want to take up running, you need about 30 days to get to a point where you become a runner. Same holds true if you want to start working out or stop the information overload that you often subject yourself to etc.
Changing habits requires a couple of very important things:
1. Reason
2. Resilience
3. Follow-Through
REASON
Unless you have a reason for change (and a very good one at that), you are not going to be able to cause a change. The process of wanting a change often begins with a reason. But the reason has to be grounded well. Superficial reasons usually lead to disasters. "I want to lose weight so I can look good in my clothes," is a very superficial reason. 90% of people never follow through on their changes because their reasoning isn't solid enough.
"I want to lose weight so I can live a healthy life and live longer and play with my grandchildren while I am old," on the other hand is a solid reason. Try, "I want to run a marathon when I am 80yrs old."
Your reason for doing something needs to have enough purpose and meaning for you to get up and follow through with your changes each day until your objective is met. This is the only known way you can follow through.
RESILIENCE
Resilience is everything. It is the ability to stand and face the challenges that may arise in the changes you are about to bring. Every action causes and equal and opposite reaction. When you try to change, you will be pushed back, but your reason for change will make you stronger. Your unyielding attitude will make you succeed.
Resilience can be built up by using the Gradual Setup philosophy.
Say you want to change a bodily habit. If you were to just go and start making immediate changes, your body will react in a negative way. You see, your body is smarter than you and it does not like sudden changes.
Some very good examples of how your body reacts when you make rapid changes:
1. If you wake up at 9am every day, try waking up at 7am one day and see what your body does to you.
2. If you don't work out at all, go to the gym one day and just push a whole lot of weights and see what your body does to you.
It goes to prove a very important point, changing habits is better when it is gradual. Gradual shift is a good shift.
When you want to start getting up early, don't just wake up at 7am instead of 9am all of a sudden. Take your time.
For the first couple of days wake up at 8:30. Then for the next couple of days wake up at 8:15. Then 8, then 7:45, then 7:30 and then finally 7. Give yourself enough time and spread to get comfortable to waking up a little early than before.
All great things have a great foundation. Make this initial setup phase a precursor to how you want things to follow. Reinforce your beliefs, outline your vision a little more clearly during this phase. Believe.
You have now formed the habit. The next challenge is to keep it and not revert back to your old ways. This is the toughest phase. Many people make it to the end of the tunnel, but give up because they don't see the light.
FOLLOW THROUGH
At the end of the tunnel lies light. Light that will grant you the joys of the day. Light that gives you the gift of color.
It is the journey that makes the destination worthwhile. The process and what you learn in the process that makes your new habit worthwhile.
Every thing you did in 1 and 2 counts towards 3. If you don't have a good enough 1 (Reason), then your 2 (Resilience) will be weak. If your 2 is weak, 3 is almost a guaranteed failure.
If you have a good enough 1, but not that good a 2 (i.e. you did not take time to adjust to your new habits) then 3 will work out for a while, but eventually lead to failure.
It takes a solid 1 and a rock hard 2 for you to completely develop the new habit to a point that it becomes a part of you. Apply this to any skill, habit you want to develop and you will hopefully reap the fruits of your hard work.
Changing habits requires a couple of very important things:
1. Reason
2. Resilience
3. Follow-Through
REASON
Unless you have a reason for change (and a very good one at that), you are not going to be able to cause a change. The process of wanting a change often begins with a reason. But the reason has to be grounded well. Superficial reasons usually lead to disasters. "I want to lose weight so I can look good in my clothes," is a very superficial reason. 90% of people never follow through on their changes because their reasoning isn't solid enough.
"I want to lose weight so I can live a healthy life and live longer and play with my grandchildren while I am old," on the other hand is a solid reason. Try, "I want to run a marathon when I am 80yrs old."
Your reason for doing something needs to have enough purpose and meaning for you to get up and follow through with your changes each day until your objective is met. This is the only known way you can follow through.
RESILIENCE
Resilience is everything. It is the ability to stand and face the challenges that may arise in the changes you are about to bring. Every action causes and equal and opposite reaction. When you try to change, you will be pushed back, but your reason for change will make you stronger. Your unyielding attitude will make you succeed.
Resilience can be built up by using the Gradual Setup philosophy.
Say you want to change a bodily habit. If you were to just go and start making immediate changes, your body will react in a negative way. You see, your body is smarter than you and it does not like sudden changes.
Some very good examples of how your body reacts when you make rapid changes:
1. If you wake up at 9am every day, try waking up at 7am one day and see what your body does to you.
2. If you don't work out at all, go to the gym one day and just push a whole lot of weights and see what your body does to you.
It goes to prove a very important point, changing habits is better when it is gradual. Gradual shift is a good shift.
When you want to start getting up early, don't just wake up at 7am instead of 9am all of a sudden. Take your time.
For the first couple of days wake up at 8:30. Then for the next couple of days wake up at 8:15. Then 8, then 7:45, then 7:30 and then finally 7. Give yourself enough time and spread to get comfortable to waking up a little early than before.
All great things have a great foundation. Make this initial setup phase a precursor to how you want things to follow. Reinforce your beliefs, outline your vision a little more clearly during this phase. Believe.
You have now formed the habit. The next challenge is to keep it and not revert back to your old ways. This is the toughest phase. Many people make it to the end of the tunnel, but give up because they don't see the light.
FOLLOW THROUGH
At the end of the tunnel lies light. Light that will grant you the joys of the day. Light that gives you the gift of color.
It is the journey that makes the destination worthwhile. The process and what you learn in the process that makes your new habit worthwhile.
Every thing you did in 1 and 2 counts towards 3. If you don't have a good enough 1 (Reason), then your 2 (Resilience) will be weak. If your 2 is weak, 3 is almost a guaranteed failure.
If you have a good enough 1, but not that good a 2 (i.e. you did not take time to adjust to your new habits) then 3 will work out for a while, but eventually lead to failure.
It takes a solid 1 and a rock hard 2 for you to completely develop the new habit to a point that it becomes a part of you. Apply this to any skill, habit you want to develop and you will hopefully reap the fruits of your hard work.
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