Podcast Summary
Join the 30-day Habit Mastery Challenge for life-changing growth: Commit to creating 2 new habits and breaking 2 old ones with daily coaching and accountability through a private Facebook group
If you're looking to make significant changes in your life and become the best version of yourself before the new year begins, consider joining the 30-day Habit Mastery Challenge. Hosted by the Mindset and Motivation Podcast, this challenge involves selecting two habits to create and two to break, with daily coaching and accountability provided through a private Facebook group. It's for those who are tired of making excuses, procrastinating, and negative thinking, and who are ready to commit to making meaningful changes. To learn more and join, visit Habits30.com.
Focus on making habits easier to change: 45% of life is on autopilot, changing habits is easier with simplicity and ease, ask yourself 'how can I make this easier?'
Mastering your habits is crucial because 45% of our lives are on autopilot, and we can make significant changes by becoming more aware of these habits. To change our habits, we should focus on making it easier on ourselves instead of struggling through it. Society often emphasizes the need to struggle to achieve success, but it's possible to make progress through simplicity and ease as well. The first step to changing habits is to ask yourself, "How can I make this easier on myself?" This mindset can help us strengthen the habits we love and eliminate the ones we dislike, leading to a more fulfilling life.
Our brains resist change and form habits to conserve energy: Understanding brain's resistance to change can help make habit formation easier by making small, incremental changes and addressing underlying fears
Our brains are wired to resist change and create habits to conserve energy. Habits allow our brains to switch from the energy-consuming prefrontal cortex to the less energy-intensive basal ganglia. However, when we try to make new changes in our lives, our brains perceive these changes as threats and resist them due to the fear-based amygdala. Understanding this resistance can help us make habit formation easier by making small, incremental changes rather than trying to make drastic, all-at-once changes. Additionally, recognizing and addressing the underlying fears that our brains may have can help us overcome the resistance and successfully create new habits.
Sneak in new habits through small changes: Start small to develop new habits, focus on one thing at a time, and make it easy to accept the change
Creating new habits doesn't have to be a struggle. Instead of forcing ourselves to change all at once, we can make it easier on ourselves by "sneaking in the back door." This means starting small and focusing on one thing at a time. For example, if you've been trying to develop the habit of flossing your teeth every day but have been putting it off for years, don't try to tackle all your teeth at once. Instead, make it as easy as possible by committing to flossing just one tooth per night. By making small, incremental changes, we can trick our brains into accepting new habits without resistance. This approach is more sustainable and sets us up for long-term success.
Lowering the barrier to entry for new habits: Start small and gradually build up to achieve sustainable habits. Break down big goals into smaller, manageable steps.
Making small, achievable changes can help establish new habits. The speaker shares an anecdote about a man who struggled to floss all his teeth due to the perceived high barrier to entry. Instead, he started by flossing just one tooth and gradually worked his way to flossing all of them. Applying this concept to other areas of his life, he found success in meditation by committing to just one minute of practice each day. By lowering the barrier to entry, the man was able to create sustainable habits. This principle can be applied to any goal, such as exercising regularly or learning a new skill. Instead of focusing on the daunting whole, break it down into smaller, manageable steps. This not only makes the goal seem less overwhelming but also increases the chances of success.
Make starting a new habit easy: To create a new habit, start with a small, easy action to build positive momentum and increase the chances of success
To create a new habit, make it as easy as possible to start. Instead of planning out a long workout session, focus on doing just one set of an exercise, like bicep curls, to get started. This low barrier to entry makes it less likely for your brain to resist and creates a positive association with the habit. To establish a new habit, consider what small action you can take to make it easier for yourself and increase the chances of success. So, what's the habit you want to create and what's the smallest step you can take towards making it a part of your routine? Remember, the goal is to make it a positive experience, not a threat, and to build on that success. Share this tip with someone who could benefit from it and strive to make someone else's day better.
