Habits are both simple and mysterious. Simple in that we all know at least three things we need to start doing or stop. They are mysterious because changing them is hard. You will never regret building sustainable habits. Learning about and implementing sustainable habits helped me lose 13 kilograms and run marathons regularly. Sustainable habits have helped more than 5000 people lose weight, defeat sugar addiction, and start living health through the #90DaysWithoutSugar Program. I learned about habits from books.
The Three Building Blocks Of Sustainable Habits.
Stephen Covey says that “Habit is the intersection of knowledge (what to do), skill (how to do), and desire (want to do).” This definition really helped me to get started on my habit’s journey. When you have these three elements you will be empowered to build sustainable habits quicker. I read more than two dozen personal development books. You start to recognize that desire, knowledge, and skill is a pattern for changing your life.
When Jim Rohn was 25 years old he met his mentor, Mr. Shoaff. Mr. Shoaff asked him where he wants to be in the next 10 years. The next question he asked him was, “Are you reading the books that are going to take you where you want to be in the next 10 years?”. Jim Rohn’s life was changed by this interaction. Mr. Shoaff knew that reading books in an area would change Jim Rohn’s desires, knowledge, and skills. It would help him build sustainable habits to achieve his goals.
Start With Why.
If you want to develop long and sustainable habits you need to start with a strong why. A strong desire is the starting point of all great habits. A study of people who lost weight and kept off found that those who had a deeper reason than losing weight managed to remain healthy in the long run. To develop habits, you need to find a strong why that resonates with your internal value system.
There are two books that will help you understand the concept of starting with the end in mind. Start With Why by Simon Sinek and The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. The greatest takeaway from these books is that finding your why will help you find fulfillment. A strong why is the foundation for the house of habits.
Knowledge Builds Sustainable Habits.
Knowledge and plans are the walls of the habit house. Sustainable habits will not happen just because we have a strong why. Habits need knowledge and a plan of action. I have heard people starting their weight loss journey with vague goals. “I want to lose weight” is very vague. Your goal needs to be specific so that it hits a target. A goal is something that you aim at snd it is not fluffy. Here is an example of a specific goal: I weigh 80 kilograms and wear size 34 pants before December 2020. You will know when you have hit this goal.
The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran and Michael Lennington; and The 1% Percent Rule by Tommy Baker. These are the books that will help you learn about setting goals and plans of action for your habits. The biggest takeaway from these books is that you need a system to put habits into practice.
Become a Skilful Habit-Builder.
The good news is that building sustainable habits will transform your life. The bad news is that it will take time, commitment, and dedication. Many weight loss programs focus on how to lose weight. However, they do not focus on the skills you need to live healthily. A skill is the ability to do something well or expertise.
Have you looked at a marathon runner and wondered how they are able to do that? They run 100s of kilometers a week and complete a marathon like they are walking through the park. Their secret is that they started off with one habit and were amateurs. Desires, knowledge, and skills moved them from amateurs to professionals. A skillful building lays one brick at a time. It is the same with a skillful habit builder. They build one habit at a time until the house is complete.
The two books I recommend for this area are The Five Major Pieces To The Life Puzzle by Jim Rohn and The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg. These two books will help you see how you can identify, change, and improve sustainable habits. They will give you the tools to be a master builder of habits.
Learn To Build Sustainable Habits.
A paper published by Duke University found that more than 40% of actions people performed each day were not decisions but habits. Learning about sustainable habits and unlearning bad habits will make you successful. Working on your habits will cause ripple effects in your life. A study comparing middle management employees and researchers found that those with healthy habits succeed in their careers. Three things you need to change your habits. Firstly, choose one habit you want to improve today. Research what are your desires in that area. Secondly, identify your goals and plans to reach those goals. Finally, learn about the skills you need to build sustainable habits in that area. You will be on your way to being a master habit-builder.