"Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going" - Jim Rohn
Ever wondered why habits are hard to break?
You start doing something consciously or subconsciously for a while and realize its tough breaking free or changing to something else. Here is why… ‘The mind will always try to stop you from what it is not used to’. It’s a daily struggle as habits are the brain’s internal drivers, but if we put up long enough and stay consistent despite the hindrance, we will be successful in assigning new roles in the long run.
Causing a meaningful long lasting change depends on your ability to form new task/goals and be consistent enough till they become habitual.
Are there habits you’ve been trying to break from, or things you wish to introduce to your daily routine, or ideology you’ve been trying to embrace?
Below are a few strategies on how to assign new roles to your mind and alter your brains internal drivers for good, so you can operate at your best:
1. Focus and consistency: Breaking old habits require igniting new thoughts and ideas, and it is only through consistency/repetition that these new thoughts will be ingrained in your mind. In order for change to occur you consciously need to rewire the circuitry of your brain which can only be possible through focus, because what you focus your attention on consistently is what you become. Hence the question, ‘what have you chosen to give your focus’?
2. Predict your obstacles: When we try to form new habits there are always obstacles and these obstacles make it difficult for us to sail smoothly to our desired goal. Predict them, predict the obstacles you will face in changing your behavior and make it easier to overcome. For example, if you are trying to cultivate the habit of reading, chances are you might feel unmotivated to go in search of a book anytime you want to read, so the best option will be to place them where your eyes can see them daily or better still where you spend more of your time. This way they will always be in your face and serve as a reminder.
"The goal at the initial stage of forming new habits shouldn’t be volume, but rather actionable goals that are easy to meet"
3. Start small: You will only succeed in overwhelming yourself by setting multiple tasks per day. If you desire for the new habit to be sustainable, you must go gradually and add a little more time to it each day till you’ve gotten the hang of it. “To make a habit stick, you must make it small enough for it to be unfailingly consistent from the very beginning.” – Dr BJ Fogg.
Nobody achieves any significant success with a quick fix, be patient with the process.
4. Get an accountability partner: If self motivation is not one of your strengths, it will serve you good to get an accountability partner. Replacing old habits take time and hard work, and results do not come as quickly as we hope, but the influence of an accountability partner can greatly accelerate your improvement, as your partner helps fire up your steam. Identifying the right commitment system can make it easy for you to break free from habits that no longer serve you, and engaging in the art of social expectation via accountability or public declaration is one way to help you break free.
Breaking bad habits or developing good ones is hard work and time consuming, but definitely possible when you commit to the process with a clear reason behind your intention.
What new roles are you assigning today?
About This Author
Imani Dokubo is a writer, storyteller, content creator, and poet. She is also Assistant Editor of BRAG! Author of the book "Unboxing Your Mind" and Co-Author of "40 Pearls Of Wisdom". She strongly believes that words are powerful. She also believes that specially selected words are vital to take readers/clients through a journey of the value they would get from products or services.
Having found her inner core in writing after graduating with a degree in computer science, Imani helps establishments craft content that attract their ideal customers. She is a scribe at Christ a Poet (CAP) where she is committed to spreading the Gospel of Christ through creative writing and poetry.
Driven with a passion to revamp mindsets and help humanity with her gift, she finds fulfillment in depicting words that engage the emotions of her readers through the art of storytelling. Apart from playing with words, Imani enjoys reading, listening to music, and dancing.