Romuald Andrade - Habit Triggers: How to create better routines and success rituals to make lasting changes in your life

Men's natures are alike;

It is their habits that separate them.

~ Confucius

Everyone has both good and bad habits. Good habits can be hard to form, while bad ones can be hard to break. However, if you understand how habits actually work, then you can make them work for you.

Charles Duhigg, a writer, talks about three different aspects involved in creating a habit. He calls them the cue , the routine , and the reward .

# The cue is what triggers your brain.

# The routine may be a mental routine, a physical routine, or an emotional routine.

# The reward helps the brain to decide whether or not that habit is worth remembering.

Your brain is led by your habits. Your habits could be financial habits, behavioral habits, health related habits, thinking habits, emotional habits, shopping habits, business habits, or location-based habits.

Habits create patterns that we regularly follow until doing so feels almost involuntary. However, a lot of people think that habits and addictions are similar in nature. The reason for that is the fact that bad habits and addictions have a lot in common. Let us examine this further.

Habits vs. Addictions

The term habit refers to a behavior pattern repeated to the point where the brain does it automatically. An addiction, on the other hand, refers to the bodys compulsive need for particular substances or things that, if denied, leads to some horrible effects. While a habit can be controlled or even modified, an addiction is beyond the control of the person affected and can only be modified if one receives the help of a professional.

Distinguishing between habits and addictions is not as straightforward as it may sound. One of the more effective approaches in differentiating between the two is to look at the outcomes of the behavior in question. Ask yourself, What are the long-term effects of this behavior? Are they disruptive and negative, or essentially balanced and positive?

In addition, to this, you can get useful insights if you examine whether or not you are able to maintain a conscious choice before you act out the behavior: Does the behavior compel your brain to indulge, or is it your brain that independently opts to act as you do? The following is a list of some significant though often subtle differences between habits and addictions:

A (Good) Habit is a Behavior Pattern that:

#1. Is repeated constantly to the point where it becomes second nature

#2. Is developed after repeated (or practiced) exposure, usually after making conscious choice

#3. Manifests itself through regularity

#4. Over time leads to accuracy of performance or increase in output

#5. Allows you to make a conscious and straightforward choice

#6. Over time leads to outcomes which are balanced and beneficial to yourself as well as to others

An Addiction is a Behavior Pattern that:

#1. Has run out of control and made you a slave to it

#2. Is developed through either through initiation to something or exposure to a substance that gives an incentive and reward to the body. The reward or incentive may be in the form of stored memories, or cues , which remind the brain of the rewarding experience after indulging in the behavior pattern.

#3. Appears with even more regularity over time

#4. Leads to decreased facility and performance accuracy over time

#5. Gradually diminishes the possibility of a conscious, straightforward choice

#6. Leads to long-term effects that are negative (the bad outweighs the good) both to self and others. These outcomes are also typically unbalanced.