Page 10 - Standard Workbook 8-27-18

TOPUCU Standard Workbook
LESSON 1: PART 2
WHY DO I KEEP DOING THAT?
Let’s talk a little more about habits. In
Part 1 of this lesson we discussed that habits
are formed through three components -
the trigger, which is what puts the habit
in motion; the routine, which is the act of
doing the habit; and the reward, the feeling
of satisfaction your brain experiences after
you do the habit. We’ve also learned that
the key to changing a habit is changing the
routine, because while the trigger and the
reward components are constant, the routine
component can be changed directly through
your own willpower. You cannot, however,
ignore the trigger and the reward when
willing yourself to change your routine. In
fact, you must examine those components
closely if you want to succeed at creating
new, better habits.
FIRST, THE TRIGGER: The trigger is the
thing that sets you off. You have to identify
what triggers your craving to act on the
bad habit you’re trying to change and come
up with a plan to remove it. Think about
this – let’s say you have a bad habit of over
spending money on clothes. For years,
you’ve been meeting your friend at the mall
to walk around and get caught up on each
other’s lives. You really enjoy the time with
your friend and walking around the mall is
fun. Over time you’ve developed an attitude
or habit that says, “Well, as long as I’m at the
mall I might as well buy something.” The
next thing you know the trigger of going
to the mall equals purchasing more clothes.
Your original reason for getting together
was to take a walk and get caught up.
It was actually more about the social
aspect than shopping.
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SECOND, THE ROUTINE: Once you’ve
identified this as the trigger you can change
your routine to taking walks in the park with
your friend instead of at the mall. You will
still be satisfied at the end of the walk and
you’ll have modified a bad habit and
replaced it with a good one. You have to
analyze the craving and see if you can
change your relationship to it. Figure out
what it is and begin the process of
removing it from the equation.
THIRD, THE REWARD: Now we need to
look at the reward. Whenever you finish the
routine there is a sense of satisfaction – an
extreme comfort. We want to emphasize the
need to feel rewarded. And that need will
never change. But you must analyze the root
of the particular satisfaction you’re trying
to achieve. Were you hungry for something
sweet? Or were you just hungry? What
exactly is the satisfaction, the reward
you’re looking for and how can you find a
different way to achieve it? That’s the key
to changing the routine!
The satisfaction of enjoying the results
(the Reward) will be sufficient to help you
continue your new routine. This will, in turn,
help you change your habit. Whatever it
is, you have to search for, and choose, a
different routine to help you bridge the
gap between craving (the Trigger) and
satisfaction (the Reward).
Think about the ice cream example from
Part 1 of this lesson. We recognized
that the craving (the Trigger) wasn’t
necessarily for ice cream. It was, simply, a
craving for a snack. After testing several
substitute routines we found a few healthier
alternatives that would give the desired
satisfaction we were craving. That way we
wouldn’t cave in to the temptation to eat
ice cream every night. You can – and you
will – find the answer too! Just don’t quit
looking for the right replacement. If you give
up before you find it...TOPUCU, “The Only
Person U Cheat Is U.”
Since we’re looking at finding, identifying,
and analyzing triggers, routines and rewards,
this is a good place to introduce you to
one of the most valuable concepts in your
TOPUCU Toolbox: The Building Block Habit.
"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." — Jim Rohn
What is a building block habit? A “building
block habit” is a routine behavior that
subconsciously leads to the formation of
other behaviors. In other words, mastering
a good building block habit will help you
form other good habits without you even
knowing it. These kinds of habits will
propel you from behavior modification to
life transformation. You must remember,
however, some habits are good, some are
bad. You must learn to correctly evaluate
which category your habits belong in---and
you must be decisive in keeping what’s
good and cutting off what’s bad.
For example, have you ever had a day where
you worked out or went for a run or a swim
or some other physical fitness activity and
as a result decided to skip that bag of greasy
potato chips when it was offered to you?
You didn’t want to take all that hard work
you just put in and ruin it with one bad snack,
right? That positive behavior of working out,
led to the positive behavior of skipping an
unhealthy snack. And just like that you’ve
begun to develop yet another good habit.
Now you’re feeling better and eating better;
Lesson 1: Part 2
you’re experiencing less guilt and have more
energy; and so forth and so on. The habits
build on one another and before you know it,
you have a collection of good habits that are
leading to a better overall lifestyle. And it all
began with a single building block habit.
Now that you’ve done some evaluating of the
TRIGGER and the satisfaction components,
you should be able to identify some better
ROUTINE behaviors as replacements for bad
ones. Now it’s time to take action! This is
what you need to do:
WRITE IT DOWN.
Write a note to yourself. Put it in a strategic
and visible place. In this note write down a
reminder of the positive routine behavior
you’ll commit to when you’re faced with your
trigger, along with an affirmative statement
that will remind you of the satisfaction you’ll
receive from that positive behavior. Here’s
an example:
“When I want a snack I will have almonds
instead of ice cream. Almonds are healthier
for me and will give me the satisfaction that
I really desire.”
Put that note on the refrigerator. Put it on
your bathroom mirror. Put it somewhere that
you will see it often. Will it feel a little weird
at first writing notes to yourself? Possibly.
Will you have to explain to other people in
your house why there are random pieces of
paper stuck to the fridge? Sure! But, do it
anyway. TOPUCU is not just about
information – it’s about transformation. It’s
not good enough to just know what to
do. You need to DO what you know! Take
Action! Take a few moments to examine your
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