17 Aug Why is Change Hard?
Ever tried to make a meaningful change in your life? Perhaps in your personal life – quit smoking or get more exercise? Maybe it’s in your work life – deal with staff differently or be more proactive in sales? These things are simple to say, simple to aim for but inherently difficult to achieve.
How difficult? In 2005, it was estimated that in the USA, 90% of heart surgery patients failed to change their lifestyle subsequent to by-passes or angioplasties surgery. Despite the fact that these people had lifestyles and habits that would likely kill them within a few years, 90% FAILED to change.
So how do you change a behaviour or break a habit? In his 2012 book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg shows how much of our behaviour is driven by habit and how this happens subconsciously. He says that habits are made up of 3 parts: The Cue – what’s the trigger that starts the habit or behaviour, The Reward – what do you get as a result of the habit, and The Routine – what happens between the Cue and the Reward.
Want to give up smoking? Figure out the Cue (ie feeling stressed at work), figure out the reward (ie taking a break) then create a new Routine (ie when I feel stressed out, I will go for a 10-minute walk to take a break). Sounds simple (but not necessarily easy…). Charles Duhigg has a pretty flow chart which explains this more clearly – you can see it here.
