{"id":24770,"date":"2021-05-21T19:01:15","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T23:01:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=24770"},"modified":"2021-05-30T22:04:39","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T02:04:39","slug":"habit-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/habit-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Habit Change: Mindfulness Is Better Than Autopilot"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Why is habit change so difficult? Why do most people fail when they try to replace their old, self-defeating habits with new, positive habits?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habit change is hard<\/a>. With some habits, it may even seem impossible. This is because many bad habits are involuntary\u2014they were created unconsciously. So, changing them requires awareness, conscious effort, and intentionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read about the psychology of habit change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Psychology of Habit Change<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Habits are acquired behaviors that have become nearly involuntary; they put us on \u201cautopilot\u201d in many aspects of our day-to-day lives. Think about how little thought you put into brushing your teeth, strapping on a seatbelt, or driving to work. This is exactly why habit change is so hard<\/a>: habits require little conscious energy, they can free us to focus our mental energy<\/a> on more creative endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Habits can be good or bad. At their worst, habits can run you in the wrong direction without you even realizing what\u2019s happening. It\u2019s like the story of a man on a horse rapidly galloping by. Someone asks him where he\u2019s going, and he says he doesn\u2019t know\u2014ask the horse. Your habits are like the horse, steering the direction of your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good habits, however, take you in a positive direction\u2014and you control the ride.<\/strong> If you are a healthy eater, you probably have very healthy food-choice habits. If you\u2019re fit, you likely have good exercise habits. In fact, successful people all seem to share the common trait of good habits in many aspects of their lives. Successful people aren\u2019t any smarter or better than anyone else, but their habits drive them toward more knowledge, competence and skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Like Larry<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basketball great Larry Bird is an example of good habits launching an ordinary person into an extraordinary success. Bird wasn\u2019t the most gifted athlete, but still managed to lead the Boston Celtics to three world championships. His habits drove him to greatness. For example, growing up, he had the habit of shooting 500 free-throw shots every morning. This preparation led him to become one of the most successful and consistent free-throw shooters in the NBA. Through habit, he conditioned himself to have the automatic responses of a champion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Changing Your Destructive Habits<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The key to successful habit<\/a> change is to get off autopilot and change the unconscious tendencies that are holding us back. Though these habits were created unconsciously, we can consciously change them and craft new, positive habits that serve our lives well. We can prepare ourselves to do this by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n