Our brain was created to form habits and be more efficient in this world. According to dictionary.com, a habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it becomes almost involuntary. Consider how easy it makes our life. We aren’t required to be constantly on alert to remember to brush our teeth, which leg to put in the pant first, how to cook or drive, or to look both ways before crossing the street all because of the blessing of habit.
These habits become part of who we are. Thinking patterns and learned emotional responses become part of our makeup. Some of our habits are necessary for our survival and day to day living and others may seem like quirks or obsessions. Some of these behaviour patterns seem merely physical while others encompass mental and emotional patterns as well, which can create dependency on other people’s opinions, narcotics, alcohol, food, etc. to create a false sense of well-being, a temporary fix which is usually an attempt to feel better about a situation they don’t even like.
Have you heard yourself fighting to keep a habit you don’t want? Have you said, “It is just who I am”?
Have you declared, “I am a smoker, I’ve been smoking since I was 10 years old”, or “I am overweight because it’s in my genes, my whole family is heavy”? Or “I am this way because I was victimized, and I can’t help behaving like this.” I strongly believe that kind of thinking is a smokescreen to protect yourself. I have done this most of my life. I have suffered a lot of unnecessary pain because of it. All you are doing is trying to avoid being uncomfortable and facing the truth of your situation. It’s not your fault. It is how our subconscious brain works, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. It is possible to change your belief and thought patterns and even your emotional responses and create a new way of being and get new results, but you must be intentional about it, it won’t happen automatically.
When you decide you want to follow another path, change a habit or uplevel your life in some way, understand that approximately 95% of our behaviour is habit, so you will feel some resistance in you, and it will take some work. Don’t misinterpret those strong negative feelings as a sign you can’t do it or give up. Your brain is just checking in with you and wanting to make sure you know what you are doing. It initially had created those habits to protect you and it feels scary to change and go into the unknown. Rest assured, there is nothing like the feeling of pushing through and changing our lives to create our own experiences. It is so empowering and worth the effort. In time your new thought patterns and choices will become your new habit and your new way of being.
What do you want for your life? Seriously. Think about it. What do you want to experience today, next month, or two years from now? What is stopping you? Honestly nothing is stopping you except the habit patterns in your brain. If you desire something different, you will need to think, feel, and act differently. It is a choice you get to make every day. I can help you with this.
This is what I am trained to do. This is what I love to do. I ask you the right questions, hold space for you with zero judgement, and together we find solutions that work for you. If you are ready to dive in and begin creating new possibilities, click the sign-up button below to book your 1:1 session or your six-week package of 1:1. If you are struggling to figure this out, please click the link below to book a free virtual coffee with me. I’ll answer all your questions, we can see if we are a good fit, and if coaching is something you want. Perhaps that one conversation is all you need. I truly love my work and desire more than anything for you to feel empowered and intentionally create what you want.
