How culture and environment can help build habits
To build a good habit seems harder than you think. our mind always tend to lean towards the habits that are easy to perform and which does not take much efforts.
That is why some habits occurs in a background in your mind without your mind having any control over it. Everyday you drive to the work and you don’t have to remember the exact directions and all the turns you have to take to reach to your office. even if your mind is wondering somewhere else or you are talking to someone on the call, you takes the right turns and reach to your destination without much involvement of your mind.
Bad habits occurs the same way and for the same intentions. You don’t really have control over them and they just happens like a normal thing. You don’t even realize that its a bad habit, because its a normal thing for you to do on daily basis!
How many times you have been eating junk food outside and you haven’t even thought it as a bad for your body!. you feels hungry, you don’t have time to cook or your mind just don’t want to bother to cook, you feel an urge to eat outside, you see a McDonald and you just gulp a whole double size cheese burger!. You didn’t thought much of it and it just happened!
It seems harder to control your bad habits and to form a new good one. or wait is it so?
Fortunately there are some things you can adapt in your lifestyle to encourage yourself to form a new habit that benefits you. So today I want to talk about
- Join a community or a like minded culture
- Choose the environment that encourages your habit
First let’s talk about how community and culture can help you
One of the most effective things you can do to build a better habit is to join a culture or a group where your desired behavior is common among others. It encourages you when you see others doing them every day.
If you are surrounded by fit people, you are more likely to consider working out to be a common habit. If you surround yourself with a group of jazz lovers, you are more likely to believe that jazz is your thing.
It’s also true for the reverse effects. If you are surrounded by 4 overweight people, you will be the 5th one. You may say, “if you have a will-power and self-control then you can be fine.” but i would suggest not to put your will-power to the test every time. why would you rely on your self-control when you can just do the things a better and simple way?
Join the culture where you already have something in common with the group. this will motivate you to do something and will help you keep you on track to form a habit. Seeing others doing the same thing that you desire to do, will also make you to do it without much resistance.
Number two, how your environment effects your habits
Pick the environment that best supports your habit and your will to work upon it. Let me elaborate with some examples and it will make sense.
If you are planning to work or study and your willingness is giving up, you can consider to go to some place where people are doing the same thing. which is working or reading. It may be some cafe, library or shared working places. Seeing others indulge in their work and study, will also put your mind in a state to take action.
If you are thinking about to work-out but not getting that motivation to move your body, then you may consider at least go to the gym. in the environment where everyone is doing exercise, will also encourage you to move your body. and you know once you have started, the rest will be the chain reaction of keep doing it.
I hope this would help you to make the choices to form or keep good habits and to become a better version of you.
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