Tiny Changes

                                                           Remarkable Change

I have set goals all my life, but I am learning to look at the systems, or the process to help me achieve them.

I had not considered that how we believe drives our actions. Behind every system of actions is a system of beliefs.

Every belief, including what we believe about ourselves is learned and conditioned through our experiences.

A habit is a behavior that has been repeated enough times to become automatic. The process of habit formation begins with trial and error.

Whenever you encounter a new situation in life, your brain has to make a decision. How do I respond to this?

The brain is now busy learning the most effective course of action. When we find the action that relieves the problem, we catalog the events in our brain. We now have a reward.

Whenever we face a problem repeatedly, our brain begins to automate the process of solving it.

As behavioral scientist Jason Hreha states, "Habits are, simply, reliable solutions to recurring problems in our environment."

Habits are mental short cuts learned from experience. Habits do not restrict freedom. They created it. Without good health habits, you may always be short on energy.



                                                   The Science of How Habits Work

First there is cue.

Cue triggers the brain to initiate a behavior.

Cravings are the second step, without some level of motivation or change we have no reason to act. What you crave is not the habit but the feeling of relief it provides.

The third step is response. The response is the actual habit you perform.

Finally, the response delivers a reward.

All behavior is driven by the desire to solve a problem. Sometimes the problem is something good, and sometimes the problem is that you are experiencing pain and you want relief.

Example: You wake up.

You want to feel alert.

You drink a cup of coffee.

You satisfy the craving to feel alert. Drinking coffee becomes associated with waking up.

Philippians 4: 6-9

Finally, brethren, whatever things have the character of truth, whatever things are worthy of reverence, whatever things are righteous. whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are attractive, these things make the subject of careful reflection. The things also which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these things habitually practice, and the God of peace shall be with you. (Kenneth Wuest expanded translation)

Let us practice good habits.

Until next time, Pam