How to create new habits and stick with them

I’m sitting here on my desk, ready to write my FIRST Blog article for NurtureNESS – how exciting ;o)
 
But I’m also a bit nervous… I’m a perfectionist, I want to get it right, and I want to give you the best information possible.
 
Luckily I had a great conversation not too long ago that reminded me that my perfectionism can easily get in the way. I can get things done much easier and faster when I follow the 80/20 percent rule.
Maybe there is a good reminder in that for you too?

Having said that, I better get started, hey?
 
NurtureNESS is about health and well-being, self-care and practicing self-love, about a less toxic life and more healthy habits. I like to sum it up with “Happiness is a Choice & Health is a Habit”. While I was thinking about my first article I realised I have to start with exactly that – Habits.
 
Yes, I could make a list of hundreds of healthy habits here for you and you may like some of them and decide to take them on… but what happens next??? Often we find it hard to build new habits as there are plenty of distractions in our day-to-day life.
 
A few days or maybe weeks down the track we realise we are off track, nothing has changed and we feel bad about ourselves because we just failed (again). I’m speaking out of experience, so I know how you feel ;o)
 
When I decided to expand my business from JOYA (the amazing crystal massage rollers, check them out at www.joya-australia.com.au if you don’t know them) to a broader range of products and education I wanted to make sure to give you FULL support. Not just sharing research, providing education and recommending great products because it doesn’t mean anything to you, if you can’t make health a habit, right?
 
The good news is it’s not as hard as you may have experienced it! I’m a huge fan of Dr. John Demartini’s teachings and those combined with some proven “tricks” make it easy to build a new habit (and then stick to it).
 
So, what do you need to do to create a habit like taking a supplement every day or starting your day with a workout, or finishing your day with writing your Gratitude List?
 
Dr. Demartini says that humans only do what serves their highest value. Everything else is just wishful thinking or fantasy. Our values are determined by our needs and they become our biggest motivation or better said inspiration.
 
We won’t be looking at what your 3 highest values are at the moment. If you have been struggling with creating a new healthy habit we know for sure that it is not high enough in your values, yet!
 
The easiest and most powerful way to change its priority is by sitting down with a pen and piece of paper – don’t underestimate the power of pen and paper! – and start writing down 50 - 100 BENEFITS of taking on that particular habit. For example how would it be beneficial to you if you would take supplement xyz every day?
Your answers might read like:

1. feeling better
2. more energy
3. taking care of myself (demonstrating self-love)
4. being healthier
5. less doctor visits
6. long-term saving on health expenses
7. less time sick leave
8. feeling of I can take care of myself
9. And so on……

 
In order to get to 50 - 100 you need to think a bit further and ask what is the secondary benefit of the one that you just listed. Like “What is the benefit having more energy?” Your answers might be: I won’t be too tired to catch up with friends. I will have the strength to play with my kids… and so on. From there you can go further one more level by looking for the benefit of that secondary one. Think outside the box. Go through all seven areas of life (mental, emotional, spiritual, physical, social, vocational and financial).
 
When you have done that we need to answer the opposite question: What would be the DRAWBACK/DISADVANTAGE of NOT building this new habit. Find another 50 - 100 answers!
 
Once you are done and have your 100 - 200 answers you will find that you “suddenly” make this habit in question a priority – the magic has happened inside you. Have you ever heard people say “You need to know your WHY!”? This little exercise will make YOUR WHY very clear to you.
 
Another important step to do is breaking tasks down into DOABLE actions steps. Go from your BIG DREAM to the SMALL STEPS you’ll need to take. You might dream of having your 100 page Gratitude Book (that will fill your heart with so much love, joy and appreciation) but you need to break this down: every day before bed time write down 10 things that you feel grateful about.  Buy the book first! Have a nice pen handy. It is crucial to be prepared! The same is true for your workout clothing or any equipment you need.
 
Creating sticky habits is far easier when we make use of our current routines, instead of trying to fight them. The concept of IF-THEN planning – also known as implementation intentions - is built around environmental “triggers” that we can use to let us know that it’s time to act on our habit. Simply pick a regular part of your schedule and then add the new habit to it.

Multiple studies confirm this to be a successful method to rely on contextual cues over willpower. So the next time you decide to “take your supplements regularly” instead try “IF I have breakfast, THEN I will take my supplements.”

For lasting change, the steps you take must ultimately change your environment and schedule. Stop buying snacks if you want to stop snacking (no willpower needed)!

Here is another trick you can use: Visualise the PROCESS and the GOAL
According to this study from UCLA, researchers found that those participants who engaged in visualisations that included the process of what needed to be done to achieve the goal (for example fantasising about learning another language, by visualising themselves practicing every day after work) were more likely to stay consistent than their peers (that visualised themselves speaking French on a trip to Paris). The visualisation process worked for two reasons:

• Planning: visualising the process helped focus attention on the steps needed to reach the goal.
• Emotion: visualisation of individual steps led to reduced anxiety.

With these few but powerful steps you are now well prepared to create and stick with your new habit.

Despite this awesome preparation you MIGHT get to what’s called an “ah-screw-it” moment.
Yes, I’m talking about these “ah-screw-it” moments where you find yourself saying, “Screw this, it’s not worth the effort!” A more scientific take on this phenomenon is called the What the Hell Effect, which explains why we are so likely to abandon ship with a new habit at the first slip-up.

Well, new habits are often a bit fragile, and while we did everything upfront we knew to eliminate any source of friction that may lead us astray you might discover there is something you just didn’t think of at the time. No worries!

The solution? Watch yourself closely in regards to your new habit and find exactly where things start to break down. Then ELIMINATE that hurdle! Whether your clothing is in another room and you procrastinate on your morning workout routine because getting up and walking around feeling cold doesn’t sound too exciting or whether your massage roller is on your bedside table but you are sitting in front of the TV and you just can’t find the energy to get up and get it… Find out what seems to be the problem and solve it!

Best wishes for your new sticky habits!