Why Is It So Hard To Break Old Habits?

Everybody talks about building better habits. Wake up earlier, go to the gym, eat healthier, read more, drink less. And we all know that we should. So why is it so hard? And this morning I was reading Napoleon Hill, The Law of Success, and I think he gave me the answer. He writes this. He said, "Voluntarily, and by force if necessary, direct your efforts and your thoughts along a desired line until you have formed the habit that will lay hold of you and continue voluntarily to direct your efforts along the same line." The phrase that grabbed me wasn't habit, it was desired line. See, before you ever build a habit, you have to establish a line. Where are you trying to go? And if the line for you is getting in shape, every decision gets measured against that line. If your line is becoming financially free, every dollar gets measured against that line. If your line is becoming a better parent, a better salesperson, a better leader, every action gets measured against that line. The line is what keeps life simple. Your job isn't to reinvent yourself every morning. Your job is to stay on the line now here's what's interesting. Of course, we all know that habits are formed by repetition. But it's formed by repetition through one or more of the five senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, or tasting the same things over and over again. It only takes one of your five senses, because your subconscious is always listening. Hill compares it to the old phonograph record, the big old-school records that are now coming back today. Every time the needle runs across that record, the groove gets a little bit deeper. Eventually the needle becomes so deep, the needle just naturally follows it. That's what a habit is for you. But here's the question I kept asking myself this morning. Why is it so much easier to pick up the old habit, revert back to it, than it is to build a new one? And I think it's because the old habit never disappeared. Think about an old hiking trail that you walked down for 20 years. Even if the weeds grow over it, it don't take much to find it again. One walk, two walks, pretty soon you're right back on that old trail but a new trail is different. You gotta cut through the brush. It's slower, it's harder. It doesn't feel as natural. But every time you walk it, you clear a little more until one day it's the easiest path to follow. That's exactly what happens with habits. The old trail isn't gone, you just stop walking down it It's the devil you know. That's why you shouldn't condemn yourself when you get tempted because the old trail is still there, and it's never gonna go away. The important question is which trail are you going to reinforce today? see, most of us end up negotiating, but you think that you're negotiating with the decision when in fact you're not. You're actually negotiating with your former self. And who knows you better than anyone? Your former self. It knows exactly which of the five senses, one or more, to trigger you. It knows exactly which emotions will make you compromise, it knows exactly which one of the five senses to use against you, and that's the scary part. See, your former self is incredibly patient. I want you to understand that. Incredibly patient. So your former self doesn't need you to fail today, It just needs you to visit the old trail often enough. One drink, one skipped workout, one excuse, one compromise, one more time, even one more environment. You don't even have to have the drink. You just subject yourself enough times to that environment, the old trail, all it takes is a spark. And eventually your former self says, welcome back, old friend. I've been waiting for you This is why I think the strongest filter to use in crossroad situations, should I, shouldn't I, is does this action strengthen a problem or does it strengthen a skill? Because there is no neutral. If it strengthens a problem, you're walking down an old trail. If it strengthens the skill, you're clearing out a new one. So when you don't feel like doing the work, and I get it, man, sometimes you just have the don't wants. Don't negotiate. Stay on the line. Napoleon Hill said, "By force if necessary," not forever, just until the habit takes hold of you, because eventually something's gonna change. At first, you're forcing the habit, then the habit starts pulling you, and the new trail becomes easier, the groove becomes deeper, the line becomes clearer, and your future self starts winning.

your old trail is always there. The difference is every day you get to choose which trail you're gonna walk down. Just keep it simple. Establish the line, then stay on the line. And every time you're tempted to negotiate, remember, you're not negotiating with the decision. You're negotiating with the person that you're trying to leave behind. Keep it simple. Keep it moving. Never settle. Stay tough. Peace