“‘Cause I’m not motivated.” “Cuz I have no discipline.” “Cuz my willpower is weak.”
Or other such nonsense!
Real reason? One word: lifestyle.
What you’re going for is a lifestyle change not a habit change.
Want six pack abs? Definitely a lifestyle change, not just crushing crunches and treadmill sprints and starving. Instead, become a fitness dude who does fitness all the time, and then, within the lifestyle of a fitness dude you have a shot at six pack abs.
Want to save more money? Definitely a lifestyle change. Stop shopping. But then, what do you do with that time? And how do you get the emotionally and physiological bang for your buck that used to come with purchasing new shtuffff? Maybe spend more quality time with your partner or learn a musical instrument? Dunno–you gotta find the thing(s) that work for you. Maybe get your kicks by becoming a financial geek who studies up and knows the best ways to save and pay off debt and invest–aka lifestyle change.
Your habit doesn’t exist in a vacuum. For your habit to stick, it must be integrated into your schedule, your attitudes, your obligations to other people, and your emotional experience of it.
Habit change doesn’t happen over night, so go for authenticity and intrinsic motivation to sustain the energy needed over the long term. Experiment until you find the things that taps into your inner spark–that energy is infinite. Then do the work to intentionally integrate into the rest of your life.
Be real, stay real, and play the long game little by little. You got this.
Leave a Reply