When I wanted to drop some weight for a specific reason, I would buckle down and suffer through. Either I made my goal or I didn’t (mostly didn’t).
But what did NOT happen for me was lasting change. I always went back to where I had started.
Then the weight I had “lost” was found. And those found pounds brought along new friends.
And I got fatter and unhappier. I slid past every low point and got even lower in self care, self respect, and self efficacy. What a miserable cycle!
It’s no wonder I decided to just accept that I was fat and would never change that.
But my body and soul continued to cry out for nurture.
My whole being needed for my conscious mind to figure things out.
Learning and practicing the four principles of habit formation shifted my results, and more importantly, my ability to maintain a new lifestyle.
Third Principal in Habit Formation
All of the principles are important. Today we focus on the third one.
The third principle in habit formation is to make it small and do-able. Less than five minutes, with a very low bar for success.
Some of the strategies people have used:
— Floss one tooth
— Drive to the gym
— Write down a menu for tomorrow
— Put your running shoes on
— Stand up before you hit the snooze button
None of these are an end goal. We all know that flossing one tooth will not lead to fabulous dental health. Nor will driving to the gym make you fit.
Standing up before you hit the snooze button by itself will not make you stop oversleeping.
The result isn’t what we focus on. It’s the identity shift.
Faithfully flossing one tooth every day will lead you to become the kind of person who takes care of their oral health.
Driving to the gym every day will help you become the person who works out every day.
When we see ourselves in a different light, we can live ourselves into a different life.
Another factor is a decision we choose. We do not skip more than one day. We pay attention to what we are doing every day. If something big enough happens that we have to miss even the low, low bar we have set, we make sure it doesn’t happen twice in a row.
Focusing on the outcome instead of the discipline may get us to a short term goal. The thing is, we won’t stay there.
See Yourself In A Different Life
Our key is to shift out identity. Through persistent attention to a tiny daily commitment, we become people who pat attention too our own well-being.
When we love ourselves enough to choose to establish a habit, our future self will thank us. We can be who we want to be. We can do what we want to do. It all begins with shifting our habits of identity and action.
