We are what we do every day. And our health is strongly determined by our habits.

“Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny. ”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are what we do every day. And our health is strongly determined by our habits. With our daily actions, we can both strengthen our body and improve our mental state, and destroy them, because the habit is either the best of the maidservants or the most dangerous of the hosts. We constantly hear about the need to eat right, drink enough water, do sports, sleep enough and ... do nothing. And if we do, then occasionally, chaotically, under the pressure of a sudden surging enthusiasm, which fades over time and we return to our old habits. 

Habit is a well-assimilated action, in the fulfillment of which a person has a constant need, is always carried out in certain conditions, and contributes to the synthesis of pleasure hormones. A habit arises after many repetition of one and the same action - when it ceases to require volitional and cognitive efforts, and not only the result becomes important, but the process itself, which causes any positive experiences. At the same time, habits can be good (morning exercises) and bad (I don’t  want to talk about the smoking habit ... put out the cigarette immediately!).

Everything that is a habit is equated with survival for the brain and causes a surge of hormones of pleasure. The psychology of the formation of a new habit is like leaving the highway and getting on the off-roads. We’ll have to make a route, go round bumps and pits, shake on uneven ground from time to time, until the new path becomes familiar and convenient. And just as you can’t pave the way  in several trips, you can’t immediately get used to doing something new, especially if it does not stimulate your hormones of pleasure. In other words, we take ourselves out of the comfort zone and begin to perform new actions, unusual and sometimes even painful, so that after some time these actions become not only familiar to us, but also bring pleasure. A difficult task ...

In order for hormones of pleasure to begin to be synthesized through some action,  which they did not do this before, they need to be long and patiently taught and tuned for this. This can only be done by repetition. Relentless and constant repetitions.

At the same time, we will have to be patient with ourselves, with our weaknesses. We humans are not robots. We cannot always move forward at top speed. We have recessions, inhibitions, disappointments. And here it is very important not to lose sight of your goal, i.e. create powerful motivation.

Remember those moments of your life when you were obsessed with any idea. You could devote all your time to her, all of yourself, you were  charged with energy. There were no fatigue, no obstacles. You wanted to work with maximum efficiency.

Why?  Because, firstly, you wanted to see the result more quickly, and secondly, the process of implementing this idea brought you pleasure. If someone asked   what was a source of energy and inspiration for you at that moment, then most likely the answer will be “It was important, it was interesting to me”. This means that importance and interest are the real reason for action, one of the strongest motives for our achievements. It turns out that in order to fulfill the plan we need to make it interesting and important for you. You need to put inside yourself a source of energy, a nourishing element for your activity.

When it comes to traditional work in a team, with the boss, tasks set above, competition, albeit unofficial, with colleagues, then we can talk about external motivation, but in the case when we set the task for ourselves, when we are our own bosses It’s worth turning to self-motivation.

How to speed up the formation of healthy habits.

Japanese method "KAIZEN"

One of the simplest is the principle of one minute, the Japanese method "KAIZEN (" kai "is change and" Zen "is wisdom), which is also considered a technique against laziness. Its essence is to engage in the chosen action every day at the same time for one minute. In fact, one minute is a very short period of time and it is not difficult to do anything in just a minute. But regularity and perseverance of performance not only propel you forward (albeit in small steps), but also develop the habit of doing the chosen thing. And, accordingly, motivates for further action. So, gradually, time can be increased to five minutes, and then to half an hour, and voila - the result appears.

Daily goal setting.

The next method of self-motivation is daily goal setting. Starting the process of changes in ourselves and our lives, we already present both the result itself and its components. That is, we are aware of our goals. This technique recommends recording your goals for at least a month every morning. Moreover, each time we do not copy the records of the previous day. We re-write from the first time. Some of the planned may already be implemented, something will want to be replaced, but something will seem irrelevant. But at the same time, the main thing you are striving for is that you will record again and again, driving you into your subconscious and making it a part of your personality. This should not be confused with daily time planning - there we plan each subsequent day, highlighting the most important tasks and planning the time for their implementation. Another important point in daily goal setting is writing them in the present tense, as if you already have everything that you want to achieve. This day after day will strengthen your conviction of the attainability of the desired.

Creating ideal conditions for a new  habits developing.

As I already wrote, in a habit, not only the result is important, but also the process itself. What brings objectively positive results is often woven from efforts and limitations. Including the limitations of pleasure hormones, therefore, at the stage of origin and the formation of a useful habit, your direct responsibility is to create for yourself as many pleasant connections with it as possible. Often, when starting a new one, we are faced with the fact that certain conditions are necessary for him. Trying to somehow adapt to the absence of these conditions, we risk abandoning the goal altogether. But everything is decided quite simply - to prepare not just suitable conditions, but ideal, the best, which you can afford. For example, you are going to start playing sports - buy yourself wonderful equipment. So that putting on it, you already felt a surge of positive emotions. Switch to a healthy diet - thoroughly study all its subtleties, place a weekly menu on the refrigerator door. And of course, buy in advance all the necessary products of the best quality.

 Healthy and healthy habits are difficult to obtain. However, when at some point in your life you experience the first results — weight loss, increased working capacity, increased energy, increased self-esteem — you will realize that these achievements are worth the effort.