when I want to change…
I read about an effective way to form good habits and break bad ones. The article I read said to change your habits, change your identity. The concept was a reminder that how we see and label ourselves can dramatically affect our habits.
A paper published in 2011 by a team of Harvard and Stanford researchers found that people were significantly more likely to vote if they were asked prior to the election, “How important is it to you to be a voter?” and less likely to vote if they were asked, “How important is it to you to vote?”
So what’s the difference as noted in this study? The first question makes people think about who they are-not just about an action they might or might not take. Once someone identifies themselves as “a voter,” they no longer have to force themselves to vote-it becomes a natural thing to do.
The leader of another study coming out of the University of Pennsylvania said, Something as simple as reflecting on core values (like living?) can fundamentally change the way our brains respond to the messages we encounter every day.
So what can we do? Label ourselves as someone who already has the habit we want…or who doesn’t have the habit we want to break.
For example: if we want to exercise regularly, don’t tell ourselves when we wake up in the morning, I’ve got to get out there and go for a run…tell ourselves, I’m a runner.
On the other hand, if we already have assigned ourselves a negative identity, we can reassure ourselves that it need not be permanent and remember back to a time before this was our identity.
For example: If we often tell ourselves, I can’t get in shape. I’m just build this way, we can remind ourselves that there was a time back in childhood or early adulthood when we were more fit and active.
It’s just another reminder (and I think we all need these reminders) to focus on the words we choose, the images we imagine, and the feelings we want to have.
So…will you change the way you see yourself so you can change the way you act?
1 Comment
Words of wisdom. Thank you for clarifying a positive way to look at our thoughts and actions.
Blessings,
Sandy