We live in a world where we are constantly thinking about improving ourselves, trying to lead a better life, talking to cute girls and get to the next level. Yet, most of us are stuck in the same routines that we perform over and over on a daily basis. Even though we consciously know that these routines (or rituals, if you will) are counter-productive, we still go about them. What am I talking about? Well, let me throw you some examples to illustrate my point:
1. You might be used to going to sleep late, and even though you know you shouldn’t.
2. You might binge on junk food in the evenings, and we all know that’s NEVER a good idea.
3. You might tell yourself that you should workout on a regular basis, but don’t.
But why?
Aren’t humans supposed to be the evolved species that knows right from wrong?
Your New Life
How would your life be if you actually did the things that you know you SHOULD do? In my opinion, everyone knows they should be healthy, workout, get enough sleep, work hard without distractions, etc. If we all did what we knew we should do, we would live in a world without obesity, with healthy, happy people…
Of course, we don’t.
Instead, our bad habits dictate our life and for the most part, they seek immediate satisfaction. I believe that humans have a higher brain (Intelligence) which is responsible for knowing that we should do, and then we have a lower, more primitive brain controlling our immediate desires. Eating junk food at 3am? That’s the primitive brain saying it’s hungry and it needs attention, now!
Good habits on the other hand, are usually the result of a conscious decision and have a long term goal. (Read a guide to a better life) These decisions are taken by the higher brain during rare moments of enlightenment. In fact, most of the time, I’d say around 90% of the time, we’re on auto-pilot, with the lower brain controlling our actions. Eat, sleep, satisfy immediate desires…
We form habits without even thinking about them, and we do them over and over again.
I believe that in order to change our lives, we must first accept the fact that we run on auto-pilot 90% of the time. Everyone does. It would simply be too much effort for our conscious mind to constantly have to think. The auto-pilot script, the thing that runs most of our lives, well… those are our habits.
Therefore, in order to change our lives, we must change our habits. Sounds simple, but in reality, changing habits is one of the most challenging things for humans. Why? Because habits are the result of deep connections in your brain, and in order to change a habit, you must rewire your mind with a new habit.
Scientists have studied how long it takes to rewire a brain (after amputations), and they have concluded that it takes a minimum of 21 days before the brain completely rewires itself. That means, that in order to implement a new habit permanently, you must do the same thing over and over for 21 days in a row.
Starting Small
So start small, and work from there. They say you can implement approximately 12 new habits per year, if you do approximately one per month. Choose a small one at first, and then do it for 21 days in a row, and you’re set for life. A small one, for instance, could be to do a 30 minute workout every morning after breakfast. As bonus, this will help your body language to attract women.
A small word of warning when implementing new habits… there is a mental barrier at approximately 10 days that most people hit. Usually at around 10 days is when your mind provides the most resistance to this new habit, and you feel like giving up. Don’t, this mental barrier is BECAUSE your brain is rewiring itself. Imagine train tracks switching from one side to another, and at day 10, this is the big transition. If you can cross the barrier, you’re good! Good luck!
