#35- What Drives Habits?
by Cory MacNeil

I'll never forget my life coach's reaction as I sat across from him in his office.  I was in the middle of making an excuse for my lack of performance in an area we'd talked about, when he put his hand up.  I stopped speaking and he made me realize what I was doing.  Why?  He knew that if I stayed on my current path, I'd keep getting the same results.

Habits can be our enemies or our friends.  For most people, the word habit suggests something bad.  Either way, your current habits are giving you the results they're designed to give.  If you are looking for better results, you need better habits.  There are no shortcuts.

Fortunately, small changes in your habits can lead to dramatic results.

The first step is to identify your cravings or motivations.  Why do you need to walk to the corner store to buy chocolate every afternoon on your break?  Is it possible that you are using chocolate to feel better?  Maybe you aren't in the position to change careers at the moment, but you could call or text a friend or relative- did you catch that?  As if relatives aren't friends. Who wants to be a millionaire?- making a purchase that only provides temporary satisfaction and long term guilt.

Phone a friend.  Phone your spouse.  Get an accountability partner.  Take a walk- minus chocolate.  Listen to a motivational audio book or some soul lifting music.

An Olympian once said: "Poetry, music, forest, oceans, solitude- they are what develop enormous emotional strength.  I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race." -Anonymous.  Did you catch that?  Spirit and energy are resources that can be stored up?

Success as the world defines it today is based on what's happening on the outside.  You can fix up the outside all you want, but the question remains: how often do you focus on renovating your inner life?

It's been said it's not a question of what you're eating, but what's eating you.  Again, the first question to ask is why am I doing this?  This can actually be not only very disheartening, but very freeing.  That question can also take you on a wild goose chase if you entertain indefinetly- peel one layer of the onion and there are more below it.

At the end of the day, your cravings drive your habit.  For example, some people repeatedly spend more money than they have because they crave status.  Some people eat to "feel good".  Some people habitually put others down, to make themselves feel and look better.  Some people work incredibly long hours and neglect their family and end up losing everything they worked for.  Why?  Cravings.

A better question is: what am I going to do achieve my goals?  Doing is an action that can be measured.  Sit-ups can be counted.  Accountability software for your computer is tangible, etc.  While you're at it, visualize the steps you need to take.  Imagine yourself walking around your neighborhood after work and imagine how good it will feel, knowing you are working towards a goal.

There are healthy and unhealthy ways to satisfy cravings.

Maybe you already have a P.O.A (plan of action:- small doable steps that add up to large results).  But what you really need is a better one.

I take that back; most people have a P.O.A to reach their goals.  Successful people have a plan B, unsuccessful people "wing it".  You don't just need a plan for when things go smoothly....you need a plan for when things don't go as planned.  So if you plan on jogging, what do you plan on doing if you have a sprained ankle?  See the difference?  Successful people have a plan to "power through setbacks."

So what is your plan?  Maybe you're perfectly content with your current results.  Congratulations!!  If not, maybe it's time to start examining the results you're getting and come up with a plan to get the results you want.

Going back to what my Life Coach did....if you are unhappy with the results you're getting, but intend to keep on doing the same thing over and over again- STOP!!!  If you want to change your life, you have to change your habits.