Research suggests that around 40% of our decisions are habitual. In other words, we’re thinking and assessing what’s actually going on, we’re simply reacting in line with past behaviours. These are our habits at work.
Our habits help us and hinder us. They save us from thinking in certain situations, but also stop us, or make us unthinking in our situations.
One of the great breakthroughs of all of the neuroscience research in the past two decades is our understanding of how our brains form habits.
It’s a combination of a simple formula that Duhigg’s shines his light on:
The great opportunity here is that when we ticker with this combination we can both create habits that automatically power our success and we can dismantle the impact of our behaviours that don’t help us be the person we want to become.
This gives us a choice – and ultimately, a responsibility. We have a choice about how we act and whether we pursue success. Plus, we have a responsibility to use this to our advantage.
Your challenge, as with all knowledge, is to use it or not. Which habits do you want to grow? Which ones do you want to kick? The choice is yours.
Pick a habit today to grow to automate your success.
Derived from: Charles Duhigg’s book The Power of Habit
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