Has anyone ever told you something annoying about yourself? Something you don’t even realize you doing until they point out you doing it? Like for instance, scraping your teeth against your fork while you’re eating, or talking during a movie. These unconscious behaviors, commonly known to us as habits, have the ability to shape your life more than you probably realize. According to The Power of Habit, written by Charles Duhigg, more than 40 percent of actions performed each day aren’t part of your actual decision-making process; their just habits you developed over time. If you ask me, that’s kind of insane!
To realize most of your decisions made throughout the day are out of pure instinct kind of rattles your brain a bit doesn’t it? I mean what makes a habit pure instinctual to a person? Habits are developed from the way we think and what we believe. They mirror our behavior and actions, and eventually, they just become automatic to us. The power of habit never really disappears, it just grows and grows over time eventually becoming a characteristic impulse of who we are.
To create this character impulse, our brains create this “habit loop” if you will, that looks for cues or triggers which tells the brain it’s time to begin the routine; a.k.a your habit. Our habits are formed from our actions, they are essentially identifiers of who we are. There are many different types of habits, some good and some bad. But what all habits have in common is they are all fueled by cravings; some sort of satisfaction your habit is trying to fulfill.
Types of habits such as nail-biting, playing with your hair, cracking your joints, biting your lip, skipping breakfast, late-night snacking, and so forth are just a few examples of the many types of habits that consume the average person. If we refer back to The Power of Habit, there are ways you can replace undesirable habits with new ones by shifting routines. The key is believing you can stick to the new habit, and not ditch it completely.
There are many benefits one gets by replacing bad habits with healthy ones, that is if they are fully committed and believe in changing their habit. The benefits of healthy habits have the power to help you reach your goals. No matter what they are, the right habits will help you to be more efficient, effective, and strategic about the thoughts and actions that will lead you towards your goals in life. These benefits of healthy habits can also help you to become the person you want to be. By creating routines and habits to help sustain you in times of challenges, you’ll walk away with your head held high.
Developing the right types of habits can also allow you to help those around you. On a daily basis there is no denying what you do will have a regular influence on those around you. For example, if a supervisor is on their cell phone all day long for personal reasons, it might send a signal to other employees that it’s okay for them to be on their cell phones too. Thus creating a toxic environment. It is in moments of failure when others are generally most open to change. Just remember, even the strongest habits can be modified over time.
Books like The Power of Habit have the ability to further explore how to manage productivity and conceptualize better habit making skills. Similar books like Mind Hacking by Jennifer Ferguson helps to open your mind to better habits and “rewire” your brain to stop overthinking. Other books like The Power of Habit are only going to enhance your understanding of how powerful habits are and the effect they have on your daily life.
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