Step By Step
As cliche as it sounds, there is truth in the saying by Aristotle “we become what we repeatedly do”. Amongst modern psychologists and educators today, this is otherwise known as habit formation and behaviour patterns.
What is a habit and why is it important? A habit is a routine behaviour that repeats regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. Research indicates that approximately 43% of our daily behaviours are performed out of habit (wanted and unwanted).
A habit forms when a regular behaviour becomes automatic. The three main components of habit formation are context cue, behaviour repetition, and reward.
For myself, playing video games is my unwanted habit and a coping mechanism for when I feel stressed out. So when I feel or perceive stress (cue), I play video games (repetition), and I’m distracted from my stress (reward).
To break and replace this unwanted habit loop, I learned to recognize video games as my main indicator of stress coping. So when I find myself wanting to play video games for extended durations, I slow down, stop and pay more attention to what’s happening in my life - instead of plugging into virtual reality and tuning out of reality, I now do the complete opposite.
However, removing or eliminating bad habits is difficult because of the repetitions and also the triggers that helped reinforced those habits have occurred over our lifespan. So the most effective method is to take advantage of the same mechanisms of habit formation (cue, repetition, reward) and hack them to consciously form and replace old unhealthy habits with the new habits we want.
That’s how I started to replace my video game habit - by learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. To my pleasant surprise, there were a lot of similarities between them - learn a new technique or move, practice it repeatedly to gain experience, apply them in sparring with my training partners, gain new insights and experiences that led to more new techniques or moves, become better, and receive recognition from my instructor for promotion to the next belt rank.
However, the main difference between the two was the gains I made in the training room stayed with me into real life and had an exponential return as I started to apply the lessons I learned on the mat into areas of my life off the mat.
Over time, as I kept up this habit loop, I also picked up other new healthy habits and skills that helped me grow and evolve into the person I am today - healthy eating, meditation, empathic listening, boundary setting, collaborative learning, just to name a few.
Every time we repeat the habits we want to see, we are layering on the foundation for our success brick by brick, in the direction we envision for our life.
When I picked up that postcard flier from Steveston Pizza 12 years ago for 2 free BJJ classes at Paradigm Shift Martial Arts, I never would have thought I’d be here right now, just a few short weeks away from opening my very own Gracie University Certified Training Center (CTC) in Port Moody.
It’s been a wild and wonderful ride filled with incredible people and unforgettable learning experiences that have helped shape me into who I am today. I am grateful and thankful for everything - the good, the bad and the ugly. Looking back on all of it now, I have come to understand and appreciate how it was all necessary in leading me to where I am today - step by step.
By knowing the difference between our good and bad habits, what they are, and what triggers them, we can gain a greater sense of control over our daily behaviours towards replacing unwanted habits with more desirable habits - one step at a time.
To help you take your first step and get started on the path to a healthier new habit, we want to encourage you to take advantage of our 10-consecutive day FREE trial.
To claim your 10-day free pass or for more info, simply visit our website or email us and we would be happy to help you get started.
We love to hear from you, so please leave a comment below and share with us a new healthy habit you’ve picked up!
