Why Habits Don't Work for You
/You’ve got a friend who tried X and it worked. You tried it and it failed spectacularly.
Why?
When your friend prepped his meals on the weekend, he raved about how it saved him time and effort during the week. You tried it and you were miserable doing it and the food ruined in the cute little containers.
Another friend tried martial arts classes and ended up practicing every day. They got fit so quick you were inspired to join in. After a week, you started finding excuses to not practice and after a month you dropped yet another gym membership.
You saw a friend on social media selling a special shake that’s giving them amazing energy. You bought it from them and it’s just giving you indigestion.
What’s the deal?
I chose the tagline for ViREO Life carefully. Find your path. Fulfill your potential. The only way to fulfill your unique potential is to find your unique path. Your path is the steps, the tactics, of your lifestyle to get the results you want.
That lifestyle is uniquely yours. Your friends lifestyle is uniquely theirs. Every client I work with has a totally different path.
Does that mean it is just a shot in the dark to find what works? Absolutely not.
You apply the principles of sticking with habits and you quickly find your tactics.
Let’s take those three common examples I mentioned at the beginning.
One Principle is Enjoyment. What is your personality? What do you enjoy in your life? Another Principle relates to Time. What priorities and responsibilities do you have?
For the friend who likes to prep food - perhaps their personality likes methodical planning and their evening are committed to working late. For you? Perhaps you enjoy going out to eat in the evenings with your buddies -- while the prepared food goes bad in your fridge.
Perhaps your martial arts pal loves to engage mentally with their exercise and be with people, and perhaps you need to let your mind wander and have some alone time. Sounds like a walk in the park would be a good experiment.
For the shake -- What about the Principle of Biology? Maybe your friend was deficient in some nutrients? What if you are sensitive to one of the ingredients?
There are several questions I use when guiding clients. Here are a few questions to ask yourself:
What was fun in childhood?
What fulfills you?
What do you like to do on vacation?
What makes you come alive?
What makes you laugh?
Who do you enjoy?
What relaxes you?
What activities absorb you, to where you lose track of time?
