The Power of Habit: Setting Up "Triggers" to Sustain Habits

What is the most important thing to help set up powerful habits in your life?

The Psychology of Habit

On why habit is about your dependence on habit rather than dependence on the object of habit

When we consider habits, we usually think of activity that is repeated by us and the psychology of habit would tell us why we repeat our activities and develop habits as we grow up. Habits are thus repeated patterns of behaviour and activities that we are conditioned to carry out and could develop over many years and habits that have developed over many years are more likely to be stronger than those developed recently or in a few years. So habits that we develop as children are more likely to remain with us all our lives than habits that we develop as adults. So the strength or potency of such habits would be directly related to how long we have been having these patterns of behaviour.

So when we wake up in the morning and brush our teeth, this is behaviour we all developed as children. Now we have to think, what happens when we try to stop these habits? What happens if we wake up and don't brush our teeth? Apart from the fact that we could end up with bad breath, there are actual psychological effects of physical and emotional or social discomfort when we don't follow one of our regular habits. Brushing your teeth is an example, another could be when you enter your apartment and switch the TV or computer on immediately after reaching home. If you stop doing that, you suddenly feel uncomfortable about your immediate ambience, even if it's your own home, as if something is missing from your life. Suppose your TV or your laptop has broken down, you cannot exercise your habit and you feel depressed. We humans are slaves of these patterns of behaviour and that is why habits are an absolutely central part of our existence. This depression that we feel, when we cannot exercise our habit could be considered as a consequence of 'habit obstruction'. Thus the habit obstruction effect could have a serious impact on our emotional, social and personal lives.

When habit obstruction effect is long term, that is when your laptop is broken for weeks or months, so you can't switch it on when you enter your house or apartment, the habit obstruction effect will extend to habit starvation and after a few weeks of habit obstruction, when you set into the habit starvation effect, you might as well begin to subconsciously forget your habit. So habit starvation could trigger some kind of amnesia of your habitual behaviour and you forget the habit. It's all very nice but then not so simple, because you might in this case have some sort of habit displacement and develop some other kind of habit. Means what? It means instead of switching on your laptop when you enter your apartment, you start cuddling your dog or your spouse or whoever lives with you. So you develop a new habit of giving a cuddle to someone once you enter your apartment. But this could have a negative effect if this object of cuddle is not around. So you again go back to habit obstruction-habit starvation effects by the time you get your new laptop and redevelop your old habit. So habit development (also known as habit formation), habit obstruction, habit starvation, habit displacement works as a cycle and in some cases we just keep continuing with our habits when there is no obstruction or starvation effect.

So what does habit do? Habits make us dependent on these patterns of behaviour. So, psychologically, we are not exactly tied to the objects of habit but rather to the habits. You see, when you enter your house and hug your dog, it is not so much about loving your spouse, but more about your habit and your dependence on your habit. Of course, your spouse doesn't realise this and of course this is good for you. We are emotionally and psychologically attached to our habits. Habits give us short term pleasure, but nevertheless these short term pleasures are important for our existence. Thus we humans could be considered as habit dependent individuals. In our daily lives, we overlook how habit underlies almost every aspect of our activities and all activities our programmed mentally to be performed or carried out in a certain way and this is our habit.

So, how do psychological theories fit in to explain the psychology of habit? Habit can be explained with conditioning and could explain human behaviour. Whereas behaviourists could explain habit with conditioning theories and suggest that habit is generally behaviour that is conditioned in a certain way, so a dog would develop a habit of eating or feel hungry when we hears a bell because he has developed that habit to associate the bell and the food.

So are habits about associating things or activities? Habits are usually about association, which means it involves two or more factors when it is manifested. So you wake up in the morning and as a habit wash your face, so the two factors here are waking up and washing your face. So waking up in the morning a habit? Yes and it again involves the internal perception of the time of day and waking up and thus there are two factors here as well. Usually habits will be about association of two or more factors and this is what psychological theories of conditioning have explained with stimulus-response equations. So in this case, habit works as a response to certain stimulus. Behaviourism could almost habit but would not be able to explain the effects of developing habits and effects of habit obstruction or habit starvation. This is because behaviourism does not consider mind or our emotional nature but only considers human behaviour sans the human mind.

So behaviouristic theories would not adequately explain habit and cannot explain why habits are difficult to abandon and what emotional impact habit obstruction or habit starvation could have on us. For this we need to understand that our mind is prone to some sort of mental conditioning.

In order to understand habit and its impact, we need to go beyond behaviourism. We have to understand why when we cannot engage in one of our habits, we feel discomfort and depressed. You have a glass of warm milk every night and suddenly you stop having this milk and then your body feels discomfort and emotionally or mentally you might also feel uncomfortable. If like me, you are into classical music and go to sleep with Beethoven or Schubert every night, you will probably stay wide awake if someone plays hard rock. We humans are creatures of habit, we are attuned to certain physical and emotional routines and when there is a change in routine, our body and mind are equally affected, whether it's a glass of milk, a kiss, a laptop, a dog, a partner or the toothpaste in the morning.

When you feel emotionally dependent on someone or something, you tend to think that you are dependent on that object or that person, but you are not. You are only dependent on your own habit. It is not a bad thing at all, it is the very foundation of society and family as we all back home at night after a day's work and that is our habit.

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Don't Quit Your New Year's Resolution Yet! 3 Tips To Rejuvenate Your Efforts

One of the best things about starting a new year is that it feels as though you're blessed with the opportunity to take on a completely new goal you want to accomplish. Unfortunately many lack the New Year's motivation to make these resolutions become a reality. Often these promises to oneself do not come to fruition, however there are those who are truly devoted to their mission and will make the necessary changes to be successful.

According to Details.com, 21% of all New Years resolutions deal with some type of weight-loss goal. If you are one of the many who are focusing on losing weight this year, here are a 3 important points to keep in mind to better your chances of accomplishing this often elusive goal.

Take Small Progressive Steps Every Week

This alone should be your number one focus as you start working on weight loss. From the moment you start, each week work on improving one thing about your health and fitness. For instance, maybe the first week you focus on improving the choices of drinks you consume on a daily basis. Therefore during that initial seven-day period you work on eliminating all sodas, juices, gatorades, energy drinks, and fancy flavored coffees and instead switch for water or other near 0 calorie beverage.

At the onset of your second week you can focus on preparing food at home in order to eliminate the fast food outings, restaurants, and pizza delivery you may have enjoyed far too frequently in the past. However here's a crucial point to keep in mind. Just because you start your second week does not mean you forget all the positives you accomplished during your first week.

Successfully losing weight is a cumulative process which is why each week needs to build on the other. Take all the positives you were able to start the week prior and now begin adding another habit that will be beneficial for your health and weight loss goal.

Start Exercising Regularly

Once you get clearance from your doctor don't delay to get that body moving. Exercise is the best way to not only burn excess calories from your body but also to start increasing muscle mass and energy. Actually there's a whole host of benefits to exercising consistently as you likely know so just get going.

However there's one note of caution you should always keep in mind. It's crucial you take the slow yet consistent approach when it comes to the topic of exercise. The point of exercising is not to go non-stop for one month and then quit altogether. Not only is that not the point of exercise, pushing your body that hard is likely to cause injury especially if you are not used to working out on a regular basis.

Start slow and in moderate blocks of time. For instance maybe the first week you simply walk for 45 minutes 4-5 days. The following week you increase the time a bit along with the pace of your walk. The week after you may be ready to start alternating between walking and jogging in 10 minute blocks.

After the third week of consistently sticking with an exercise routine of 4-5 times every seven days you should feel yourself getting stronger and having more energy. You may want to start changing up the routine and adding new workouts to your repertoire. There may be a variety of exercise classes taught in your area you may enjoy such as CrossFit, cycling, yoga, kickboxing, boot camp to name a handful. If you'd like to keep the workouts in the comfort of your own home, there's plenty available on YouTube or the DVD variety that you may prefer.

Point is, find exercises you like and that inspire you to want to stick with this process. Having a variety of workouts you enjoy doing will help keep boredom at bay. When you're having fun working out, it won't seem like work at all. You just have to get to that point where your thoughts and attitude towards exercise change and that only comes when you stick with this process for at least a month and find workouts you like doing.

Review and Revise Your Plan Weekly

Losing weight and getting in shape may come easily for you, or it may be one of the worst internal struggles you've ever had to deal with. Regardless of where you lie on the weight loss difficulty scale, it's important you self-reflect at the end of each week and revise your plan so you start the new week with a specific course of action.

When you take weight loss in 7-day increments, you give yourself a block of time where you can focus on specific instances that will either lead you to lose weight or gain weight. After your initial week, reflect on what went well and what may need adjusting for the upcoming 7 days.

Some questions you can ask yourself are:

1) How many times did you exercise?
2) Were your drinks healthy choices?
3) Did you prepare all your meals at home?
4) Travel lunches for work?
5) Were your snacks healthy and controlled?
6) Did you eat late at night?
7) How was the portion size at meals? Overeat?
8) How many alcohol beverages for the week? (Each serving averages about 130 calories)

Once you honestly answer these questions, you will have specific instances you can work on for the next week. Remember, successfully losing weight comes from sticking with healthy choices week after week for a prolonged period of time. Just as it takes time to build a house from the ground up, the same can be said about the weight loss process.

Don't expect to shed 75 pounds in a month because that just won't happen. But you can shed those 75 pounds in 8 months if you dedicate yourself to the process and are willing to get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Focus each week on improving your habits, exercise often and review/revise your plan and you will soon start dropping those excess pounds you want to be rid of for good.

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Unstoppable - Motivational Video

If blue Monday got you down this week, then here is a bit of fire to spark you up again...

Let me know what you think. 

Beating Blue Monday - The Worst Day of the Year

About ten years ago Cliff Arnall, a British scientist, reportedly created a calculation to determine "the most depressing day of the year." The equation includes seven variables: (W) weather, (D) debt, (d) monthly salary, (T) time since Christmas, (Q) time since last failed attempt, (M) low motivational levels and (NA) the need to take action.

Since then, it has generally been determined that the last Monday in January qualifies as the worst/most depressing day of the year. Over time it has come to be known as Blue Monday.

Not all scientists are impressed with the calculation, and yes, there is a Wikipedia entry to give you all of the history and background.

Whether you think it science or shenanigans - I think it is silly.

I share this not because I agree with the science, or to give you a license to feel badly, walk around moping or looking like we just ate a lemon.

Rather I offer it as a challenge to you and your team (if you are a leader).

This is our chance to make Blue Monday something far better. When you look at the factors in the equations, you could see where all of them could impact someone's mental state - but none of them have to.

Here is my challenge to you.

Make it a great day. Make it a day where your heart and mind and spirit soar.

If the weather is gray and foggy, so what? Are you going to let water droplets influence your day?

If you have already backslid on your New Year's Resolution, that trend can be reversed... starting today.

If you have more bills than you wish you did, don't spend any money today.

But beyond the formula, you can take actions that will insure (yes, I mean insure) that you will have a better day, and certainly not have your worst day of the year.

Here is a short list to get you started.

• When you see someone smile, smile back.
• When you are in your car, let the person merge.
• When you think someone is being mean, look for a different explanation (or consider benign intent.
• When you feel blue, think yellow (or any color that makes you happy).
• Read a book you love.
• Watch something that makes you laugh.
• Call someone you miss, "just because."
• Thank a co-worker for something you appreciate in their work.
• Serve your Customers with cheer, knowing you can positively influence their day by your interaction.

While I could type all day, you get the picture.

What am I really saying?

Make a choice.

Make a choice to create a great day today.

Make a choice to make January 15 (or whatever day you are reading this) your best day of the year so far.

It is off to a good start.

Use today as a test case for yourself. After all, if you can make it a great day on the "most depressing day of the year", you can do it anytime.

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How to Compose a SMART Goal to Increase Your Results

If any of y'all are like me and starting off with your workout program, you should have a goal or two. Or twenty. Or thousands. But a goal is just a dream without one criteria: it must be SMART. As in:

* Specific

* Measurable

* Attainable

* Relevant

* Timely

But you can also have SMARTER goals which are even more successful:

* Evaluate

* Re-Evaluate

"We need to make more oil and our goal is to make more oil for less money." You'll see how this is not smart goal. Similar to YOU claiming,

"I'm going to lose weight"

A fair idea, a nice dream, maybe something to put on your dream board, but not a fair goal. Let's take a look at why.

SPECIFIC

Look at it this way, if something is specific, then someone can't ask for clarification. If you were to tell anyone your goal, no one would want additional information to find out exactly what you were trying to do. Oh? Do you feel "losing weight" is good enough? 

Think about these bullet points:

* How about if you're given a pill that made you lose 20 pounds by dehydrating you and causing diarrhea?

* You know, your leg weighs a lot. In fact, I bet we could amputate both for a NICE weight loss.

* Muscle is heavier than fat, right? So just don't do anything for a long time and lose your muscle. Done.

* For only $100,000 I can surgically remove that pesky fat of yours...

I have a good feeling you did not mean losing weight like the ways listed above. You likely meant that you want to lose fat through a natural caloric deficit. That is much more specific. Let's amend our original statement:

"I'm going to lose fat through a natural caloric deficit"

MEASURABLE

If we attempt to make a nice goal, we might get as far as this one, especially when it comes to fitness. "I want to lose 20 pounds." These statements are all over the place Although we've already found out that that's not specific enough, let's modify our specific goal to bring in something measurable. And no, stating "I want to lose fat until I look like [insert movie star]!" doesn't count as a measurable goal. If you show me how you would measure that an I'll tell you it's OK then.

"I'm going to lose 20 pounds of fat through a natural caloric deficit"

ATTAINABLE

OK, let's be frank. If you are 110 pounds and 5'8", you don't likely have 20 pounds of fat to lose. If you have dress you're trying to fit into for a party this weekend, 20 pounds of fat loss is also not attainable (however, if you do, patent your strategy NOW because you're about to get rich). Make sure your goal is even possible. That's fine if it's a long shot, that's fine if you're raising the bar and "shooting for the stars." But it does you no good to make a goal that you can in no way even possibly meet. You're out to fail from the got go. Make it a stretch goal, but not a cut-yourself-in-two goal.

For this one, we'll pretend I'm a 180 pound female attempting to lose this 20 pounds over four months. That's attainable.

RELEVANT

What if someone asked you, "What do you have as a goal for today?" and you answered, "I'm going to lose 20 pounds of fat through a natural caloric deficit over the next two months." Well that's good, but how is that relevant to today? We're talking about today. Or what your goal was to lose fat but you declared it like this: "I'm going to lose 20 pounds of fat through a natural caloric deficit, drink 8 glasses of water each day, and watch the entire series of True Blood." Wait a second...how in the world does True Blood have in common with your weight loss? And is the water volume for health reasons or to help you lose weight? Be certain everything in your goal is relevant to your single desired outcome.

TIMELY

Our last addition to our goal is to put a time limit on it. Losing 20 pounds over four weeks or twenty years makes for two entirely different goals. And if you don't put a time limit on it, how will you know the amount of effort you need? How will you write down how frequently you need to exercise, how much of a deficit you should have, or if you have have that birthday cake or not? You need to define what your time range is. If you just leave it to "Oh, I'll be happy with any progress in that direction" then YES, you will be settling with "good enough." DON'T DO IT! You are better than that.

"I'm going to lose 20 pounds of fat through a natural caloric deficit over three months"

EVALUATE & RE-EVALUATE

Fantastic. Good for you for getting this far. You've developed your SMART goal, you've written it in your journal and underlined in red. But now it's half-way through your time period and you're not even close to where you need to be. This is when you evaluate your goals and make modifications where you need to. If your goal is no longer attainable, change it. Nothing saying you can't change a goal. You should change what you're doing also, but change it to make it real. Also, if a goal is no longer relevant, take note and either change or remove that goal. No need to have a false failure over your head. Life changes. It happens. Evaluate and re-evaluate through the entire process. Look at it weekly, or even daily, if you goal is short term enough to require a daily review. Just keep your goals current.

OK, now you have the tools. GO MAKE THOSE GOALS AND MAKE 'EM SMART ONES! ENJOY!

If you want to dive deep then I recommend the highly rated SMART Goals Made Simple by SJ Scott. Click the link below to find out more. 

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Meghan Trainor: All About That Change

What are your big changes for this year? Comment below...