Experiencing a surge in motivation feels great, however it often comes with an expiration date.
Rather than letting this unreliable driving force dictate your actions, being disciplined, ambitious, and habitual is more likely to result in long-term success.
The back-bone of building a good habit is a four-step process:
1.) Cue - this is related to an initial stimulatory sensation to initiate a habit. For example, seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, feeling or reading something
2.) Craving - you have a desire to carry-through with responding to this cue and instigating the associated habit, as you crave the end result it will deliver
3.) Response - this is the act of performing the habit itself. After consideration, you’ve decided that the effort required to complete the habit is worthwhile to achieve the end result
4.) Reward: as a consequence of your habitual action you achieve the reward and feel satisfied
Let’s put this into an example:
Imagine that you’re at a work function and there’s a spread of fruit and pastries on the table, and you’re feeling relatively peckish.
🔹Cue: You’re hungry and the fruit catches your eye
🔹Craving: You have a desire to pick an apple off the table instead of an almond croissant, as you identify yourself as someone who makes nutritious choices and you don’t want to exceed your energy requirements for the day
🔹Response: You eat the apple instead of the almond croissant
🔹Reward: You feel satiated, nourished, and accomplished knowing that you made a decision that aligns with your health and fitness goals
In this hypothetical circumstance, no one is going to argue that apples taste better than croissants - however for this individual choosing to eat fruit is an ingrained habit.
To induce positive behavioural change in life, it’s encouraged that you build a foundation of good habits that you can hold yourself accountable to integrating into a daily routine.
Realistically, motivation won’t always be around in ample quantity, which is why habits, discipline and ambition need to be there to take the reins when needed.