YOUR DAILY HABITS: How To Re-Wire Your Brain and Grow Your Business
What are your everyday habits? Maybe you define some habits as bad habits and others as good. Sometimes you may not even understand why you do them in the first place!
Subconscious Me: That tamale in the fridge is calling my name...
Conscious me: No! you need to sit here and finish writing before you can have your tamale.. plus you're not even hungry.
Subconscious Me: Yes but it's about that time...and I smell food, which makes me hungry.
Conscious me: GAHHHHH!!!!!
Sometimes our brain brings certain feelings and emotions without understanding where they come from or what triggered them in the first place.
After reading The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, I've tried to make a conscious effort to notice certain unwanted daily habits. Understanding how bad habits form, gave me the ability to change them into habits that would help me be successful in my life and my business.
Do you have certain habits you can kick to the curb and replace them with genuine, goal oriented habits that will grow your business? Hopefully, your brain shouted, "YES!"
I'm not a psychology expert but after reading, researching and changing my life through personal experience, I wanted to share with others ways you can change your habits, just like I have!
Pinpoint your strengths and your weaknesses
All of us are stronger in certain areas of life than others. For myself, I know I'm not the best writer and I don't have the best long term memory. Literally as, I'm typing this sentence right now, I notice about 5 grammatical errors and 2 words misspelled...wait... ok thank goodness for Grammarly. Fixed!
What was I saying? Oh yea!
After I was able to accept and face the fact that my phone isn't ringing off the hook to write the next big novel or get asked to be on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, I realized that I needed to figure out a way to improve (or even manage) my weak areas.
For example, I started to take extensive notes when I have a phone call with a client, I know that I understand their wants and needs as I'm talking to them, then fast forward a week... I may have forgotten all the details.
Kick the bad habit and replace it with a new habit, this takes time and almost constant effort on your part but it can be done!
How to recognize certain habits
Charles Duhigg writes that every habit starts with a psychological pattern called a "habit loop,". This loop contains 3 parts.
Part 1: there's a cue or trigger, that tells your brain to go into automatic mode and let a behavior unfold.
Part 2: "Then there's the routine, which is the behavior itself," Says Duhigg
Part 3: is the reward: something that your brain likes that helps it remember the "habit loop" in the future.
Example: One of the most common habit that we all posses as human beings is driving. Our body and mind become so familiar with the action that part of our brain almost goes into "sleep mode" and allows room for the rest of your mind to focus on other thoughts or actions.
I know we've all been deep in thought singing out our favorite jam while cruising down the highway. Getting so into the music we imagine ourselves out on the dance floor workin' it...
Then we snap out of it and have to slam on the breaks because we weren't paying attention and almost rear-ended the care in front of us!
This is exactly what Charles Duhigg, is describing.
““You can do these complex behaviors without being mentally aware of it at all. And that’s because of the capacity of our basal ganglia: to take a behavior and turn it into an automatic routine.””
SO HOW DO WE BREAK THESE HABITS WHERE THEY AREN'T NEEDED?
You need to understand the 3-Part "habit loop" and re-wire your brain.
RE-WIRING YOUR BRAIN
FIRST: MAKE A COMMITTMENT
I would say that this is the most important aspect of all. You cannot fully change anything in your life unless you are fully committed to making a change.
It takes DAILY EFFORT TO MAKE A CHANGE PEOPLE! If you truly care about making growing your business, you'll sacrifice certain things in your life to make it happen.
Paint a reminder on your wall! Set an alarm on your phone! Get it tattooed on your hand! Whatever it takes to be reminded every day that you need to make a change.
And as cheesy as this sounds, you need to believe you can do it. If you don't believe you can do it then what's the point in doing it in the first place?
SECOND: PUSH PAST YOUR COMFORT ZONE
Part of the reason why we have subsided into these habits is because we like them, they feel comfortable and we continue to do them over and over until they stick like stepping on a wad of gum.
The only way to replace certain habits with others is to get a little uncomfortable.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
GET THE FREE LIST OF THE SPECIFIC ACTIONS I TOOK AND RESOURCES I USE, TO CHANGE MY HABITS AND GROW MY BUSINESS
I know I know. There, there shhhhh *gently strokes head* shhhh...
Take small steps like...
Picking the middle seat on the plane when you always choose the window. Obviously, the window seat is the most comfortable but how does the middle seat make you feel? Maybe you can't rest your head, so you stay awake, occupying your time writing vigorously on your new blog? hmmmmmm...
Ask yourself before you do certain things why you are doing them, and could you be doing something better with your time? Maybe something that could benefit your business.
THIRD: BECOME MENTALLY, PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY "FIT"
Getting in-tune with yourself and staying grounded will help you to understand how your brain and body process your daily habits.
Also, by giving your body and mind more love and attention, you will receive more energy to put into your life and your business.
Physically: It goes without saying that if you eat McDonald's every day, versus a kale salad, you will be burnt out way faster, leaving less time to work on your business. Time is money and you'll have more time when you start eating better.
Also, some sort of physical exercise will make you feel better. Exercise makes you happy and gives you more energy.
You don't have to train for the next marathon, but a simple walk to get the blood pumpin' is good for you.
Mentally: it's very easy to overwork your brain. When we have so much to do, our brain is constantly and actively working, which can leave you feeling very "scatter-brained".
When this starts to happen, take a deep breath or meditate. It will bring you clarity so you can focus on one thing at a time.
I use to have a lot of anxiety issues and I didn't know why. I had to ask myself what wasn't making me happy in life (because anxiety doesn't come from just anywhere, there's a trigger). After I figured out certain triggers, I recognized what was making me feel stressed and I learned how to calm myself down by taking deep breaths.
I highly recommend taking deep breaths throughout the day. Maybe before you walk into work, sit in your car for a second and breathe. You will feel so much better.
Emotionally: emotional exhaustion will most certainly bring you mental and physical exhaustion! You need to know yourself and what triggers certain emotions.
I had to research Becky G for work a few years back and here's a replay of my thought pattern at that time:
"Cute outfit!... I wish I had more money to buy those badass shoes 😔 ... (scrolls down google images) ..Look at how long and beautiful her hair is!... why won't my hair ever grow that long? 😔 (scrolls down some more) She has such pretty lips... my upper lip barely exists it's so tiny 😔....
THIS THOUGHT PATTERN IS SO SO AWFUL!! I recognized that comparing myself to Becky G ultimately made me sad! Which is NO BUENO.
NOTICE WHEN YOUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS GO IN A NEGATIVE DIRECTION AND BRING THEM INTO A POSITIVE DIRECTION BY REPLACING THESE THOUGHTS WITH POSITIVE THOUGHTS ABOUT YOURSELF!!
Sorry about the caps but this is so so important!
Jen Sincerro says it so well:
“comparison is the fastest way to take all the fun out of life. It’s none of your business what other people are doing, all that matters is that you’re enjoying yourself and pleased with what your creating. It’s precisely your uniqueness that makes you awesome. Deciding that someone else’s uniqueness is better than your own, isn’t exactly being your “best buddy” about things.”
FOURTH: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!
I've said it before and I will continue to say it. Habits become habits because we do them over and over again! You need to change them by practicing changing them over and over again.
implement everything you just read above and I know you will grow your business.
After reading all of this, you're probably thinking "she makes it sound so easy" I assure you, it's not easy by any means. I had to remind myself every day of everything I'm typing to you right now in order to really make a change.
Make a list of what you need to be reminded of every day. Put in on the ceiling above your bed, in your car, as the screensaver on your phone, whatever it may be. So that you can make changes for yourself and your business.
Need more detail?
I will break down and give you the specific actions I took to replace bad habits with good habits. These habits allowed me to start my business while working a 9-5! From the vitamins I take, all the way to which app I use to meditate. These tools and practices will help you make a change and re-wire your brain.
Always with best intentions,
Kiki
