Start the New Year by looking at your Habits.

In my last post, I wrote about building a reading habit.

So, if you have decided to revive your old reading habit in 2021, I guess you can start with one great non-fiction book, “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.

“Success is a few good habits repeated every day; Failure is a few bad decisions repeated every day”- Jim Rohn.

We all know the importance of building good habits, but we still fail to do so.

James Clear outlines comprehensively why it isn't easy to form good habits and how we can form good habits.

When we want to change habits, we generally start keeping the outcome and process in our minds.

Like, If I have to lose weight, I will think, let me lose 10 Kgs, and I will do it either by dieting or exercising.

Most of the time, people give up midway because they do not see results, and there is no immediate gratification.

All good habits are punishing in the short term and rewarding in longer terms.

Similarly, all bad habits are rewarding in the short term and punishing in the longer run.

Getting up early and going for a jog is punishing in the short term, rewarding in the long term.

Oversleeping in the morning is pleasurable in the short term and punishing in the long run.

Working for delayed gratification is not natural human behavior.

Our primal behavior is to get instant gratification.

We eat food, and hunger is satiated.

We drink water; our thrust is quenched.

Our forefathers during the stone age or in gatherer days hunted and ate.

They were happy living meal by meal.

They did not do stuff for delayed gratification.

For humankind, delayed gratification is a couple of century-old phenomena.

I can relate to it so well.

I used to smoke since my engineering days.

I do not know why I picked that habit.

Obviously, it was not to get addicted but probably to be cool or for social approval initially, because most of the friends used to smoke.

So, my smoking habit became part of my identity, and it wasn't easy to stop.

Many years later, I cut down smoking, and I was rarely smoking.

Once I was frisked in the airport by the CISF guy who asked, “Are you carrying any matchbox or a lighter?”

I promptly said I do not smoke, and I felt good saying that.

I was surprised at my own answer.

I was yet to stop smoking completely till that time.

Then why did I feel good declaring that I do not smoke?

Maybe I was trying to form a new identity of being mindful of health rather than being cool, which later on actually became an addiction.

Today most of my friends quit smoking, some of them have started running full marathons.

So the moment a new identity of the runner was formed for them, smoking was a non-congruent behavior with their new identity, and hence it was easier to stop smoking for them.

So, If I have to lose weight, I need to create an identity of being fit and healthy, and once that is there, every time I see a bar of chocolate or a pastry, my new identity will dissuade me from having it.

The crux is to shift your own identity in your mind and to hold yourself accountable for the same.

Please read the book; the whole science habit is there; it may positively impact you.

Wishing you a great year ahead!