I went to brush my teeth a few days ago and reached for the toothpaste tube to the right of my bathroom sink, like I do every day.
I didn’t look at the tube because my toothpaste is in the same place every day.
It’s a habit to grab whatever is right there…
Unfortunately, this time I grabbed my face wash instead of toothpaste… not a great start to me day!
If I’d paid closer attention instead of relying on my habit of picking up the tube to the right of the sink, I wouldn’t have a mouth full of face wash.
Our habits can be helpful when they’re things like working out every day or going to bed on time…
But our habits can also be harmful. And hard to change, thanks to a well-known law of physics.
In high school, I’m pretty sure we all learned about Isaac Newton and his First Law of Motion:
An object in motion tends to stay in motion until an external force is applied to it.
The same thing applies to our behavior!
When we perform an action over and over, it becomes deeply embedded in our brains. It creates a neural pathway that makes it easier to repeat that same behavior time and time again.
If we want to change the way we do things, we have to make a conscious decision and use willpower to overcome that neural pathway.
One of best ways to start making a change like that? JUST DO IT. (Nike was onto something there…)
If you want to start working out every day… start working out every day! The more you do it, the more it will become the habit you want to keep.
Consistency matters! Like that law of motion… if you keep doing the new habit, momentum will pick up and keep it going.
You also want to let yourself be “triggered”, but in the right way!
We hear a lot about people being triggered by negative things, but did you know you can use triggers to perform good habits too?
For example - if you want to start eating healthier, put a healthy food choice, like a bowl of apples, on your counter.
Every time you walk past it, you’ll trigger your brain to want an apple, not a cookie.
Now I fully realize that changing your habits takes more than just setting out a bowl of apples… (though that IS a good first step!)
Sometimes you need someone to show you what to do AND hold you accountable to actually doing it.
Because that’s the hardest part… sticking with it. We just looked at the science behind that, right? Your brain is wired to keep doing what it’s been doing.
Your best shot at making this change could be working with someone who will help you solidify the new habit.
If you feel it in your bones that NOW is the time to change your bad habits into good ones, let’s talk!
It’s not easy to rewire our brains. Let’s do it together.
