The more we understand how a habit works, the more likely it is that we will be able to make — or break — habits in our everyday lives.
Everyone is familiar with habits of some kind.
Perhaps you have a bad habit you would like to break. Or you aspire to create one that you hope will improve your life. Alternately, you may already have a routine that you follow every day.
But how do these habits originate?
Most of us are likely familiar with the desire for improvement. For instance, suppose you get a gym membership in January, as part of a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get in better shape.
Many people in this scenario have every intention to work out regularly, perhaps even several times a week. There is no guarantee, however, that the desire will turn into an actual habit. Wanting to go to the gym and actually going are two different things.
So how does something go from an aspiration to an actual, consistent routine?
Sometimes willpower is sufficient. If you just want something badly enough, you can power your way through to making it happen. However, willpower is not consistent from person to person. For the same person, it can even vary from situation to situation or from day to day.
When willpower is not enough, what can we do to turn our hopes into concrete actions? What steps can we take in order to create a habit?
Related questions: What unusual habit do you have? What is one thing you feel the need to do every day? Are routines boring? How do you stick to your resolutions? How do you reward yourself?