Habits Change the World

Imagine: You are working at a dead end job in a boring office environment. Each day, you come in, drink your coffee, clock in, sit at your desk, and start plucking away at your daily task list. Your boss walks down the rows of desks every so often. Making sure that you are not on your phone and working hard for that meager wage and sub-par benefits package. It's Monday, and this will be the same routine for the next five days. A simple thought runs through your head as you plug away at your job. One day, things will get better. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

When you tell yourself things will get better, what does that entail? Does it entail your boss finally noticing all the blood, sweat, and tears that you have committed to the company? A promotion? Winning the lottery so you can quit work? Perhaps you finally meet that special someone on one of those dating sites or at your favorite restaurant. Oh look, you found a $20 bill on the ground last night on your evening walk. All of these things sound nice don't they? All of the aforementioned 'Things will get better' moments have one thing in common. None of them are in your control.

Despite these not being in your control, there is one thing that you can be in control of that could lead to positive changes in the uncontrollable aspects of your life. Your Habits. There is no shortage of self improvement books that offer quick fix strategies to change a bad habit. Some give expansive lists of "Proven good habits to help you reach your goals." What most of these books do not tell you is, what exactly is a habit. How do they work, and how can you change any habit that you want to. The Power of Habit is unique in that it not only offers you strategies to change; but also in depth explanations as to the why habits work the way that they do.

Before we proceed to a discussion of some of the key points of the book, take a moment to examine your own habits. Have you identified any that you would like to change and struggle to do so? Ultimately falling back into the old ways a few weeks later. Why does this happen? The Power of Habit answers this question and many others. Be warned, this is not a "Quick Fix" method, which is why I absolutely love this book.

What is a Habit?

In simple terms, a habit is a hardwired action that is repeated on a subconscious level that is triggered by some form of stimuli.

We all have habits. Some of them are good, while others can be quite destructive. Take your morning routine for example. From the moment your alarm goes off, what do you do? Do you go for a morning walk? Perhaps you make breakfast and read the paper, or listen to your favorite morning show or podcast. Whatever it is that you do, you can define it as a morning habit. Triggered by the obnoxious sound of your alarm rousing you from slumber.

The first step in understanding a habit is to identify it. Cliche as it is, knowing is half of the battle. Habits can be both regular and irregular in terms of when they pop up depending on the nature of the cue. Perhaps you chew on your nails when you get nervous. At face value, this is not a bad thing, until you do it so much your fingers start to bleed. Maybe you go for a run whenever you get upset to clear your head. Exercise is good for many facets of life. Yet, what happens during a particularly stressful time, and you exercise so much that you end up hurting yourself? Is that now a bad habit? Of course not.

For the purposes of this passage, and as outlined in the book that inspired it, a habit can be broken up into three parts. The first, is the trigger or cue. What causes you to perform this particular habit. Stress? Seeing a particular color? An annoying phrase that someone says? Anything can be a trigger for a habit. The second, is the routine. What are you doing exactly. Do you put headphones on and blast music? Go for a drive? Drink more alcohol than you should? Maybe you end up getting aggressive. The routine is a repeated action that occurs every time the trigger is activated. Lastly, there is the reward. What do you get out of it? Momentary satisfaction? Physical pain? A reward is not always positive.

These three parts form a cycle known as the Habit Loop. As illustrated below.

The above illustration demonstrates the habit loop. You have the Cue which triggers the habit, which leads to some reward. When changing a habit, a common misconception is that you either change the cue, or change the reward. Changing the reward is an attempt to discourage the habit. Changing the cue is an effort to change the entire habit loop. What both of these misconceptions cause is having an individual completely go against the science of a habit, which the inspiration book goes into a great deal of depth on. In short, a habit is hardwired into your brain once it is formed. However, new habits can be formed to activate over the old ones.

How do you Change a Habit?

The book spends a great deal of time analyzing the science of a habit, but it also goes into how you can use that science to change the habit. Instead of targeting the cue, or the reward, target the routine itself. Why would you do such a thing? Most often, the cue is not something you can directly control, and the reward in cases of a non physical one, are also outside of your direct control. When was the last time that you could dictate how something was going to make you feel after the fact?

Below is an expanded view of the habit loop, and how it applies to changing a habit.

The above example stems from someone who drinks excessively in response to stress. The cue, could be a hard day at work. The routine, hit the bar, spend $100, and stumble home. The reward; momentarily forgetting the stress and having a brief moment of happiness. Though enjoying a nice drink is not bad, it is easy to see how if this habit persists day after day that it can become quite destructive to an individual.

Now, let us take the same scenario, but apply the right habit loop. You have a long, stressful day. Instead of hitting the bar and enjoying expensive drinks, you go talk to a friend to calm down. Maybe you vent about the day, or maybe you just talk about whatever you want. At the end of the conversation, you get the same satisfaction of peace and enjoyment from the experience, but now you are still $100 richer and you don't risk those nasty hangovers! Regardless of the routine change, it is that routine that will determine if a bad habit ever becomes a good one.

Habits make up the very core of our daily lives. What you do determines who you are. Changing them is an uncomfortable experience. By understanding the science behind them and how they work, you can become equipped with the tools to make a lasting change in your life, and the lives of others should your habits affect them. The Power of Habit goes into extensive detail as to not just the how, but the why. By learning both the how and the why, you can take actionable steps into the direction that you want to go.

Where to Buy

I found this title in a local bookstore. Depending on your region you may find it in such, or in some form of big box store that sells books. A paperback runs around $18 on Amazon, and can be found at the below link. Though I encourage everyone interested in this book to see if they can purchase it locally first. Note, I am not affiliated with the below link, and do not receive any financial benefit from purchases made using it.

https://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/081298160X/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=power+of+habit&qid=1592158696&sr=8-3