Why My Habits Never Stuck and How I Cracked The Code
Follow my habits, challenges I faced and finally, the solution.
I vowed to do well academically, and I knew that developing a regular study routine was the key to my success.
I decided to roll up my sleeves and go to work so I was genuinely motivated.
Eight, nine, and even ten hours a day, I was buried in my textbooks. My motivation, however, faded as the days went.
I wanted an answer.
The Reward System’s Promise and Pitfalls.
I decided to set up a reward system as a means of reigniting my curiosity.
My reward for finishing a study session would be to watch an episode of my preferred anime series.
After finishing a task, I’d reward myself by playing video games with friends. I had tried everything to make studying a habit, but nothing seemed to work.
A week passed and I realized I hadn’t read a single book in that time. A massive failure, my “habit quest” left me wondering where I had gone wrong.
It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying; the problem was the scope of my ambition. I was overly concerned with my grades, which are often out of our hands.
I could have done everything perfectly, but the outcome could have been affected by anything beyond my control.
Identity-Based Habits.
The best strategy was to dig deeper and identify the characteristics of high-achieving students. I felt the urge to comprehend their behaviors and choices.
These were behaviors that shaped who I am as a person rather than how I performed in life.
The end aim shifted from simply getting good grades to becoming the type of person who consistently puts in study time.
Drawing Inspiration from Heroes’ Journeys.
When I thought about the paths taken by fictional characters in books and games, I had this moment of clarity.
Both Harry Potter and Rey of “Star Wars,” were on a mission to defend the planet from an evil wizard.
Success was not assured regardless of the results of their journeys. What counted most was how they had changed, how their identities had shifted.
While Harry became a wizard, Rey developed into a Jedi master.
This rebranding was crucial to their success.
The idea of motivation as a continuum entered my mind.
Both external influences, such as rewards and punishments, and internal elements, such as values, played a role. On this spectrum, I was resolved to shift my attention from results to identity.
The motivation originated from somewhere other than the habit itself, though, so I recognized that they were still types of extrinsic motivation.
The highest level is known as “intrinsic motivation,” which refers to being motivated by feelings of love or excitement for the behavior itself.
Though I didn’t particularly enjoy learning, I admitted that I was willing to give it a go. Developing behaviors tied to my sense of self allowed me to solidify that sense of self.
Even if I wasn’t yet an excellent student, if I identified with that identity, I was more inclined to make decisions that supported that identity.
Making choices that reflected those of a model student helped me feel more like myself.
The Impact of Self-Narratives.
The ability to regress a character’s change was also considered. I used to tell myself things like, “I’m not a morning person” and “I’m bad at math,” even though I knew deep down that such things weren’t true.
It took me a long time to break the cycle of defeat I had put myself through.
It struck me that thinking about the result wasn’t the first step in establishing good habits. Instead, I had to decide what kind of persona I wanted to adopt.
Not only did I want to become a character who regularly produced exciting videos on YouTube, but I also wanted to accumulate a million subscribers.
It wasn’t about getting rich quickly but about establishing a reputation as someone who reliably creates solutions that address real problems in people’s lives.
It wasn’t enough to become the type of student who studies for an hour every weekend. I shifted my attention from the final product to the process of change.
The Cracked Code.
The effects of my character evolution were slow in coming, but that was OK.
Every day, I focused on what I could manage and made good choices.
Over time, I developed a pattern of behavior that has shaped who I am and made schoolwork pleasurable.
I discovered that the Feynman technique could help me find my genuine drive and alter the course of my life forever.
