Changing a Habit

It is Christmas Eve and by Christmas morning most of us will have some regrets with the amount we've ingested, but never fully digested. We look down to out waistline and feel the weight of the extra tire.

With a heavy sigh we promise ourselves that come New Years we are going to change our ways by changing and quitting certain habits. We earnestly give it our all. Motivation is in full gear and our determination has never been greater.

For most of us, by months end we are back where we originally started out - back with an old habit and it's consequences. We ask ourselves why is it so damn hard to change a habit?

Basically, our brains can be wired very easily to do most anything. When it comes to unwiring, that is where the conundrum lies. It is nearly impossible to unwire something. That is, it is highly unlikely you can change a habit.

A habit is based on a pattern that has been repeated time and again. The more it is used the deeper the pattern becomes entrenched in the brain. A good analogy is to think about the Colardo river that cuts and snakes it's way through the Grand Canyon. There is a pattern of flow that can not be easily erased. It is a permanent feature in the landscape, as is a habit is a permanent feature in the brain's landscape.

The best strategy to changing a habit is to simply begin developing a new one. After some time using the new habit it will become more and more dominant where eventually it will become the primary habit. Then the initial habit will simply fall by the way side due to lack of use.

- On the road with my iPhone