The dawning of a new year brings out new possibilities. It may also
trigger a discomfort in proclaiming a resolution – a goal that may be a
repeat from the past or something that has little likelihood of
succeeding. Much of this reluctance and anxiety is embedded in our
propensity to stay within the cocoon of our well established habits.
Humans are habitual creatures. You likely have the same routine once you
wake up to prepare for work. You typically take the same route to work
and back home. You have many other routines throughout your working day
followed by routines in the evening as you retire for the day. And so
on.
… it takes 66 days for a new habit to form. It also takes 66 days to break a bad habit….
As this month’s featured article points out, it takes 66 days for a new
habit to form. It also takes 66 days to break a bad habit. Humans are
creatures of habit including those automatic routines that hold back
your capacity to be all that you can be, and more.
Much of being creatures of habit is attributed to our incredible,
unconscious ability to trick our brain into believing that repeated
behaviour is the behaviour of choice. Once the brain has received a
repeated impulse it goes into an energy-saving, vacation mode. Once this
happens, breaking the mode to approach a task or challenge in a new or
different manner becomes an obstacle – one that involves a disciplined
and conscious action over 66 days or more.
There are no lack of recommended techniques for breaking a habit. And
yet, breaking our established, automatic patterns remain a challenge for
us all.
I suggest that you use January as the launch of your introspective time to ask and answer questions such as,
- What are the habits that drive my life?
- What are my habits that are helpful?
- What habits are not helpful?
- What one habit will I focus on over the next 66 days to create a new habit that helps me?
- How will I know I have broken a past habit and created something new and meaningful in my life?
Recommended Reading:
- How To Break A Bad Habit for Good – link
- The Power of Habits by Charles Duhigg
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill