10/30/24
Last week we talked about Continuously Improving Your Life with Identity. It is based James Clear’s book Atomic Habits. And Identity, he says, is where real change happens. It’s where we begin that leads to those incremental changes that bring us to our end goal. We usually have this backwards. We get so focused on that end goal, that make big, radical changes in our life that are not really sustainable. Think about those New Years goals at the gym. I’m going to lose 20 pounds. When we don’t see changes quickly enough we feel like we’ve failed, or we can’t actually get there, so we give up. We quit on ourselves long before we should. But Clear says that if we just focus on who we believe ourselves to be, then we will act out of that belief. We will start making small, 1% changes, that make us more and more like we are confessing to be. That’s behavior change.
He says, “Your behaviors today are a reflection of your identity. So, when your behavior and your identity are fully aligned, then you are no longer pursuing behavior change, you're simply acting out of the type of person you already believe yourself to be.” Making this change is possible based on the way your brain to functions. It’s just looking for direction; looking for someone to give it instructions on how to operate. And hopefully, that’s you; not someone or something else. If you want to hear more about how you can do this and why, listen toEpisode 123 – Re-write The Code.
I left you last week, asking you to spend a little bit of time exploring what you believe about yourself when it comes to what you want to be experiencing in your life. And who do you wish to be? This is a really good exercise to get with the Lord about. You’ll want to align your intentions with God’s will. And to align yourself with who He says you are, what He is calling you to do, and who He’s calling you to be. When you make a point to connect with God about your priorities for the day, or long-term goals, when you find out what pleases Him, you will know what is His good and perfect will. That’s what Romans 12:2 says will happen when you allow your mind to be transformed. It’s a spiritual practice integrated with psychological tools. It’s where your brain and your faith meet. By the way, that’s the title of one of the chapters in my book that will be released in about a month. I’m excited to get it into your hands. If you want to be the first to know when it’s released, go to triciazody.com/book to get on the list.
Okay, last week, I told you one area of my life where I’m trying to make improvements. I joined an online workout program, and I used that as an example of creating identity-based habits. I was having a hard time getting back into the gym at 5:30 in the morning after recovering from foot surgery. I was just getting used to sleeping in a bit. At first, it was necessary for recovery. But then it became a habit. So I needed to create an identity based on the end results I wanted, and I decided that part of who I am is someone who works out at 5:30. And so that’s what I’ve been doing.
This week, we’re going to focus on the processes, or changing your habits and systems, that will incrementally lead you to your end goal. These are the things you will do to get what you want. So, once you’ve created your identity you will begin searching for tiny margins of improvement in everything that you do.
We’re going to continue with the book Atomic Habits to learn how to build good habits and break bad ones. Remember, both good and bad habits compound. James Clear introduces what he calls “The Four Laws of Behavior Change.” These are practical strategies for making habits more likely to stick.
The first “Law” as he calls it, is to Make it Obvious. This focuses on cues that trigger behaviors. So, you make environmental changes that become signals to remind you to take action.
Maybe you want to drink more water, you could get one of those big water bottles that have the ounces marked. But I’ve also seen some that have encouragement written on it like, “You’ve got this! Keep going. You’re halfway there. Just a little more. You did it. You’re awesome.” It’s kinda cute. But better, the is the most obvious cue. Change your physical surroundings to make the cues for good habits more apparent. If you want to start a gratitude journal that you write in before you go to sleep, you could set your journal and pen on your pillow to remind you to take action. The goal is to make the cues for good habits highly visible.
The second “Law” is to make it attractive. Clear says that habits are driven by cravings or desires. So, if a behavior is attractive, you're more likely to pursue it. By associating habits with positive emotions or rewards, you increase motivation and make it easier to stick to them. The reward makes it more attractive. I was listening to a book on audible that I really liked. But my strategy was to only listen to the book when I was working out. So the book made going to the gym much more attractive.
The third “Law of Behavior Change” is to make it easy. This is all about reducing barriers to the habit. The easier a behavior is, the more likely you’ll do it. For me, I would set out my workout clothes, baseball cap, and shoes the night before. In fact. I lay out my clothes, stacked on top of each other in the order I put them on, making sure the shirt I’m wearing is right side out And that’s because at 5 am when I’m getting dressed half asleep, I’ve been known to go to the gym with my shirt on inside out. So, I don’t even have to think about it; I just put it on as it’s laid out. It's easy. I also have my pre-workout meal pre-prepped and ready to go. So easy. Both of these systems make me more productive and intentional at the gym.
There’s another kind of “easy” that we might need sometimes. And that’s because whatever we’re trying to do, whatever habit or system we’re trying to create, sometimes it just seems hard. Sometimes when that alarm goes off at 5 a.m. I just want to turn it off and go back to sleep. But I’ve figured out that if I tell myself that I could take a nap later in the day, it’s easier to get up. Funny, I don’t think I’ve ever actually taken a nap, though. I know that there have been days when I woke up and thought, “My body is sore, and I just don’t think I could get through the whole workout.” I tell my to just go and do something. Anything. 10 minutes even. And when I get there, I always complete the whole workout. Not because I was punishing myself or pushing myself unnecessarily. But because I just needed something that made it feel easier to just get me there.
I would also say the same about eating healthy, whole foods and making sure I’m eating enough protein. If I meal prep, then especially on those busy workdays, when it’s time for lunch, I’m going to eat the healthy food. Because, believe me, when I didn’t have meals prepped and I was starving, I’d eat things I shouldn’t, like a whole bag of salt and vinegar chips. Just because that was easiest at the moment. Which reminds me. I had a client one time tell me she couldn’t stop eating ice cream before bed. I told her the trick to 100% never eat ice cream before bed ever again…do you know what that is? To not buy ice cream in the first place. If it’s not in your refrigerator, you can’t eat it. So, if you want to break a bad habit, make it difficult to perform.
The final “Law of Behavior Change” is to make it satisfying. When the outcome of a behavior is satisfying, you're more likely to repeat it in the future. Here, you could reward yourself for taking action. Like, “If I clean the bathrooms, then I’ll allow myself to watch one episode of The Great British Baking Show.” Our brains create associations. The reward provides a dopamine hit. So then the brain is going to want to do the thing again to get the reward and that dopamine hit. It also prioritizes immediate gratification. Like, how satisfying is it to cross something off your list?! I’ve even been known to add something I did to my list just to then cross it off. Is there anyone out there that’s also done that? Watching a money jar grow full of coins is also a reward system to the brain. Or keeping tally marks for every time you do something. The brain responds in positive ways, encouraging you to do it again and again. This is a great system to get to your goal.
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Again, the goal is to just do something 1% better than you’ve previously been doing. So as you’re using any of these 4 laws for behavior change, know that you’re looking for tiny margins of improvement in everything that you do.
I’ve been doing this intentionally for several weeks, and it feels like the first decision led to a domino effect. For example, I made my bed 1% better. Maybe 100% better, because after surgery I got out of the habit of making it. But all I was looking for was 1%. Everything else was gravy.
And here I’m going to tell on myself. Sometimes, if I get yard tools out, like to cut tree limbs or hedge the bushes, I tend to leave them on the back patio for a day or two. And if I get the tall ladder out of the garage, I may put it back in the garage, but not all the way back where it belongs. This is where I miss my sweet husband who would take care of cleaning up behind me. Anyway, I need to do this for myself…and I want to. I want to be the kind of person who completes the task right away. That last push to follow through. So, I got the ladder out this week and put it right back where it goes. And I felt this surge of accomplishment. That was the dopamine. The reward. My brain really liked that. So much so that it has been encouraging me to find more and more tiny margins to improve upon.
Friend, what could you do 1% better? Those are the systems that get you to the goal. So maybe we start with the question, “Who do you want to be, who have you identified yourself to be, and what can you do 1% better to get there?” The Lord wants to partner with you in your continuous improvement, and He’s given you the Holy Spirit to help you in all that you need to be 1% better every day.
If you’d like to explore how Life Coaching would work for you, there’s a link in the show notes for a free 30-minute discovery call. I have a waitlist for next year, and there’s a spot with your name on it.
Don’t forget to get the Listener’s Guide that complements this episode so you can work this out on your own. It’s like a little bit of Life Coaching at home.
Have a wonderful week, friends. See you next Wednesday for the next episode of Another Beautiful Life.
SHOW NOTES:
The content of this episode is based on the book Atomic Habits by James Clear. Clear’s message and strategy is based on how habits compound over time and why making small improvements on a daily basis can lead to a significant difference in your life in the long-run - it’s the philosophy of continuous improvement.
Today, we focus on the habits and systems that you can implement that, over time, get you to your goal. Using “The Four Laws of Behavior Change,” we can apply practical strategies for making habits more likely to stick. Join me as I give you a personal example of how I’m changing and the impact it’s making on my life.
Are you wondering how Life Coaching works? Would you like a free, 30-minute session? Click this link to set up a Consult Call: https://calendly.com/triciazodylifecoach/30min
Get the free, printable guide here: https://www.triciazody.com/guide
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