Beyond Resolutions: Embracing Habits as the Path to True Success
#LeadandLift | Episode 101
Do you want to be able to achieve your resolutions and goals this year? Then create new habits instead of setting goals!
For years, I would always get excited at the start of the New Year because of the endless possibilities in the upcoming new chapter of my life. I saw a better life for myself, I had a glimpse of a dream, and I knew what I wanted for my life.
Then the days would start going by and before the end of the month, I would forget all the promises I made to myself to make the year better. Does this sound familiar?
That was before I began my quest into personal development and discovered the secret to achieving those goals. Before I share those secrets with you, let’s talk about why resolutions fail.
Five reasons why resolutions fail
It’s not very uncommon for resolutions to fail and create disappointment for people. In fact, if you did a quick Google search about the statistics of how many people actually complete their resolutions by the end of the year, a lot of websites say “9%” and that most people drop off of their commitment at about February.
There are five reasons why resolutions fail.
The first reason is that a resolution often lacks clarity. For example, your plan might’ve been to “exercise more”. That goal lacks direction, it lacks a sense of measurable progress, and also most likely will be overpowered by our already established habits.
There are just too many questions regarding that goal. How do you define “more”? If you miss a day exercising, then did you already fail? How much should you exercise? Do you go on a treadmill? What time will you do this in the day?
Our habits will win because we are creatures of habit, especially if the goal isn’t very concrete and strong-founded in the first place. Even though we have this great idea to exercise more, it’s not going to happen if it isn’t already built into our habits.
The second reason is that resolutions are usually focused on the outcome instead of a clear plan or roadmap on how to achieve it. If it’s not broken down into little steps, it leaves you struggling to translate your intentions into concrete actions.
The third reason is that resolutions focus on surface-level behavior instead of the underlying habits, making it difficult to break our established daily pattern. Always remember that habits are automatic so if we don’t make the space to introduce this new thing, it’s not going to happen.
The fourth reason resolutions don’t work is when they are pursued in isolation. Have you shared your resolutions or goals with anybody else? When we set a resolution, we make a promise to ourselves to do this thing but if we don’t get anybody involved, then we’ll be lacking in something that’s very important in staying committed to a promise: accountability.
Without accountability and support partners, it makes it easy to abandon the goal when we’re faced with challenges. It’s tempting because your mind will tell you, “if I stop, no one will know.” It’s a lie because you will know and once you break promises that you’ve made to yourself, you’ll feel uneasy and incongruent.
The fifth reason why resolutions fail is that we fail to take emotional factors into account. Days will come when we’ll be extremely stressed, anxious, or have low self-esteem and these emotional factors will impact you. It will affect your ability to stick to your goals, it will make it easier for you to slip and fall back into your old habits.
“Your habits and your environment will always win.” - Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath
The three elements of creating habits
Habits play a foundational role in shaping your everyday actions. There are a lot of things in your life that you don’t even have to think about anymore, you just do them automatically - you don’t have to tell yourself to do them, you just do them. That’s why creating good habits can be very powerful for transforming your life.
I did some research on habits that I’ll share with you in a bit, and I’ll give you a link to the book if you want to read it for yourself.
There is a science behind habit formation. There are neurological changes that happen in the brain in the process of creating a habit. Engaging repeatedly in a specific behavior will strengthen neural pathways in your brain that relate to that behavior, eventually making it a habit.
Three key elements make up a “habit loop” - the process that makes habits automatic. You can read more about this in the book “Tiny Habits” by BJ Fogg. This topic is also covered in James Clear’s Atomic Habits but I love the simplicity of “Tiny Habits” because it shows you the process and how you can hack your habits so that you can apply the knowledge immediately.
The three elements that make up a habit loop are a cue, neuroplasticity, and dopamine.
Let’s say a person is stressed and when that person becomes stressed, they eat chocolate which temporarily relieves the stress.
The cue or the trigger that initiates the behavior in this example is stress. The behavior is to eat chocolate and the temporary stress relief that it provides is a reward that brings positive reinforcement to the behavior.
The second element is neuroplasticity and it is the brain’s ability to reorganize itself. As we repeat a behavior, the brain undergoes neurological changes that reinforce that connection with new neurons.
The third part is dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. That plays a critical role in habit formation because when you have a positive association with a habit, you are compelled to do it more.
In summary, the cue triggers the behavior that makes the brain reorganize itself and create neural pathways which leads to dopamine rewarding the person with positive feelings. This process creates a habit loop and makes habits eventually become automatic.
“Consistency builds momentum. Small daily actions are going to compound over time.” - Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath
The power of habits
Creating new habits is way more powerful and successful than just setting a goal. With vague resolutions, you’ll have a lot of things stacked against your willpower but if you create a habit that supports your intention, then it becomes automatic, taking less effort of will.
Here are five things that happen when you set new habits:
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Behavior is automated. By doing this thing over and over and over, it becomes ingrained into your routine so keep on doing it until it becomes a habit.
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Consistency builds momentum. Small daily actions are going to compound over time and it’s going to create neurological pathways in your brain.
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Formation of positive routines. Routines are how we structure our day and it reduces decision fatigue and creates an environment for success.
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Habits instill resilience. Individuals who have stronger habits are better equipped to persevere when faced with a challenge or a setback.
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Habits are the building blocks to achieving positive outcomes. If you want to change something in your life, then create a habit that will help you achieve it.
As a high-performance coach, I help my clients win in all areas of their lives by creating foundational habits. The five high-performance habits are these: clarity, productivity, energy, influence, and courage.
These habits will empower you to win in your personal and professional life. This isn’t a new discovery, it’s been proven in the lives of many of the world’s best high-performing people.
Personally, I’ve been practicing these five habits for three years and it’s been incredible. I’ve also seen amazing results in the lives of my clients. Your habits are at your core. You bring your habits with you as you show up in different areas of your life.
In relation to that, I want to give a golden opportunity for you to practice these habits yourself. If you’ve been a frequent listener and follower of the Lead and Lift podcast, then you know that we have just celebrated the 100th episode recently. That’s why I’m offering a free high-performance coaching session.
Click on this link if you’d like to access my calendar and secure a spot on my schedule for a free coaching session.
Habits are powerful and pivotal to creating change in your life. High-performance habits are the best ones you can apply in your life if you desire to succeed beyond standard norms while maintaining positive relationships and well-being.
Habits are already influencing your daily life, so go ahead and create ones that make it better by using all these tips. I’m rooting for your success!
Links mentioned in this episode:
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Author
Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath
Coach
Hi! I'm Chabidaye Jaglal Ramnath, your Certified High Performance Coach. You know when high achieving moms in leadership desire more joy, fulfillment and confidence in their personal life and business? I deliver that through high performance coaching. I am so happy that our paths have crossed!
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