Habit and Hope

At the turn of each year, we tend to think about ‘change’ – a word that can be both empowering and daunting, at the same time. Empowering because it signals the fact that we want to, and we are ready to make a shift. Daunting because we know how hard it is to break those habits that come in the way of our own growth and improvement.

Harnessing the power of habit change requires effort, no doubt. It could be in any sphere – improving your tennis serve or taking that online course you’ve been thinking about for many years! The reality is that sometimes we come up on top, and sometimes not. Whether it’s big goals or small goals, the trajectory is normally, two steps forward and one step back.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Habit and behavior change experts tell us that this endless waltz of behavior change which hinges on our habits, can be smoothly and successfully attained. This is where we shift from Habits and Helplessness, to Habits and Hope!

Have a look at Stanford Professor B.J. Fogg in this video advising us to forget about the big, overwhelming changes, and instead, focus on tiny habits. He is also the author of the book Tiny Habit, in which he argues that only 3 things will change your behavior in the long term –

Option A : Have an epiphany (rare)
Option B : Change your environment (doable)
Option C : Take baby steps (quite possible)

Similarly, in his best-selling book Atomic Habits, James Clear also talks about small improvements that lead to remarkable results and why we should be focussing less on goals and more on a system of habits. James Clear, also calls out implementation intentions – and specific plans that need to be made to build habits and drive long-term behavior change.

The big ‘aha’ moment for our team while reading these books was this – while will-power and motivation is good for short-term change, it is not sufficient for long-term and sustainable behavior change.

For all the new year resolutions we didn’t keep over the years, or for the changes we want to make this year, we have nothing to lose by thinking about transformations as a constellation of micro-habits. If nothing else, it amplifies our sense of agency and gives us hope to start our change-journey.

We would love to hear from you…
Have you tried breaking through a habit that was getting you nowhere?
How tough was it?
Did it help you get to your goal?
Any tips you would like to share to help others?
Still struggling with some so-called deep rooted habits?
Want to bring ‘change’ and ‘habit-hope’ into your life?

Get in touch.
Because we, at Sai Shiko help build thinking, feeling and doing habits, that go a long way in driving high performance, as well as sustaining well-being.

With grit and gratitude,
The Sai Shiko team