Change your life step by step

Do you ever feel like there's a big difference between who you are and who you want to be? Maybe you want to exercise more, eat healthier, learn a new language, write a book, read more, or just spend less time on the internet. But it can be hard to make these changes and stick to them. Sometimes it feels like you have to become a completely different person to achieve your goals. You might try really hard for a while, but then you slip back into your old habits. It's frustrating and can make you feel like a failure. But it's not all your fault! Your brain is like a jungle, and making changes is like hacking your way through it. It takes a lot of energy and effort to create new paths in your brain. But the more you do something, the easier it gets. Eventually, it becomes a habit and you don't even have to think about it anymore. So don't give up! Keep working on your goals and creating new paths in your brain. It might be hard at first, but it will get easier over time.

Routines and habits are things you do all the time without even thinking about it. A routine is when you do the same actions in the same order because it works well for you. For example, you might always cook your favorite dish the same way because you like how it tastes. Habits are routines that you do so often that your brain thinks they're good for you. Habits are like being on autopilot - you don't even have to think about doing them. Habits are started by triggers, which are things that make you want to do something. For example, when you see your phone, you might automatically unlock the screen. Habits are like an impulsive toddler because they make you do things without thinking about the future.

Looking at stuff on the Internet can be fun sometimes. But when we do it too much, it can become a bad habit. Our brains like to feel good, so when we do something that makes us happy, we want to do it again and again. This can make it hard to stop doing things that are bad for us.

But our brains have two parts that work together to help us. One part is like a smart planner that helps us do important things like homework and taxes. The other part is like a little kid that likes to do easy things without thinking too much. This part helps us do things like brushing our teeth and tying our shoes without using too much energy.

If we want to make a new habit, we can use these two parts of our brain to help us. We start by making a small and easy goal, like doing ten squats every morning. Then we make a routine and use triggers to help us remember to do it. This way, our brain thinks it's not a big deal and it becomes a habit that we do without even thinking about it.

If you want to make something a habit, you need to start doing it in a specific way. This means you need to have a trigger, which is like a start button for your action. For example, if you want to start doing ten squats every day, you could make sure to always do them in the same place and at the same time, like in your living room at 8am. Once you have your trigger and action, you just need to keep doing it regularly, ideally every day. Eventually, it will become a habit and feel like a regular part of your day. But here's the thing - it's not always easy. Sometimes it's hard to stick to new habits, especially if they're not as fun as other things you could be doing. So, try to make your new habit more enjoyable by doing something you like while you're doing it, like listening to your favorite podcast or working on something else you need to do. It might take anywhere from 15 to 250 days to establish a new habit, but if you keep at it, you'll get there!

Starting something new is easy, but keeping it up every day can be tough. But don't worry, it gets easier the more you do it! There's no magic trick to making changes in your life, but there is something called the science of habits that can help. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, you can always make positive changes. Even if you only make small changes, that's still a success! It's better to do something than to do nothing at all. Remember, change is a journey, not a destination.