Perhaps one of the biggest barriers to self-improvement and self-realization is having the ability to implement change in our lives, or to create new habits. So, how can we implement new habits, implement change in our lives?
We tend to rely solely on our willpower, but that’s not always enough. Different people have different levels of willpower. Some have the power to command themselves, while others struggle with the smallest of requirements for change. Even worse, studies show that willpower is a very limited resource. If you use willpower for any one thing, you deplete it for anything else, no matter how different they may be. For example, if you had to use willpower to get yourself out of bed and go to the gym or meditate, then you’ll have less willpower later to push yourself, say, to choose a healthy lunch and skip the dessert.
The conclusion is that we should not depend on willpower because we just don’t have enough of it to guarantee success. Instead, we should depend on habit. Habit requires no willpower. That’s the danger and the beauty of it. It’s automatic. It’s business as usual and your energy flows into your habits just as easily as water flows down rivers.
In this video, I give two scientifically proven techniques for implementing change. The first is a technique to help convince yourself of the need for the change. The second is a practical life-hack for giving that change a chance to stick and become a habit. Try it and see!