There are two ways to achieve success: effort (whether mental or physical)… or systems.  By far the easiest way to success, the easiest way to sustain success is… systems and habits.  And the fact is that people that are successful in life, form routines that support their success.  You increase your chances of success by knowing and understanding the 3 phases of forming a powerful life habit.

To start, you may have read that it takes approximately 21 days to form a new habit but there is more to it than that. A number f research studies have concluded that it actually takes people 66 days on average to form a new habit (https://jamesclear.com/new-habit ).

Then there is a process involved in forming new habits. It is not just a matter of doing something consistently for 21, 66 or even 365 days. If only it was that easy! The fact is there are particular phases and specific actions you can take to better help you on your journey to forming the new habits that you desire!

1. Honeymoon Phase

First, imagine meeting someone and then falling in love with them. The world seems a much better place after this doesn’t it? Every new day is exciting and you are prepared to do anything to make this new person in your life happy. You never want this feeling to end but in the majority of cases it does unfortunately.

The early days and beginning of working to adopt a new habit are, very much, like a “honeymoon.”  There is excitement and enchantment – small hits of dopamine and hope every time you perform the new habit – reminding you of how you imagine your life will change once you make new actions habit.

The challenge is that reality kicks in and things begin to look different. You begin to realize the amount of mindfulness and effort your new actions take; the realities of your life begin to remind you why you weren’t taking those actions in the first place and things begin to bog down:  You start to question whether these new actions are worth it or you begin to become distracted with the same distracting or intervening habits you had before.

Then, as you move past the honeymoon stage of habit formation you realize new behavior may feel like a chore.  Distractions, making deals with yourself and the first signs of doubt creep in.  Congratulations, you have just entered the critical stage.

2. Critical Stage

The next of the 3 phases of forming a powerful life habit, the critical stage is not called “critical” for nothing:  As reality, distractions and past bad habits begin to rear their ugly heads, the challenge of new habit formation really starts to kick in and you question whether all of the time and effort that you are spending on your new habit is really worth it.

Motivation Wanes

Your motivation levels are at their lowest during the critical phase and if you don’t survive it then there is a real danger that your old bad habits will resurface and you will go back to your old ways. You must successfully navigate your way through the critical phase to continue with your new habit and make it stick.

You radically increase your chances of surviving the critical stage by doing  following:

• First, know to expect, then recognize the critical phase
• Remind yourself of the reason for this new habit and strengthen your resolve with questions or statements that remind you of the answers that brought you to choose this new habit; and refocus, redouble and take control of your emotions
• Visualize the big picture – using imagination, writing or a Vision Board – for how continuing with this new habit will change your life for the better in the future

3. Second Nature Phase

As you might expect, this phase means that your new habit has reached the stage of becoming second nature to you. This phase may occur anywhere from 14 to 66 days and, with each repetition grows stronger and stronger.

This is a great place to be but you still need to be cautious: to large of a slip or too long of a slip will quickly erase your gains, but with this amount of repetition under your belt even small snafus or minor lapses shouldn’t stand in your way to success in this new life habit.

Be on the lookout for 3 deadly horsemen of habitual success:

• Getting discouraged
• Having your new habit interrupted
• Feeling that you have already done enough

Any of these can quickly send you back to the critical phase leaving you and the new life success habit you’ve been cultivating on challenging ground.

Repetition and mindfulness will keep your stepping forward and the strength of the habit will continue to build as it is just a matter of carrying on until the new routine becomes an automatic habit.

Success!

That’s it!  Understanding these 3 phases of forming a powerful life habit both allow the easiest way to reach and sustain success as well as developing a no self-control, no hard work, just keep your habit system to success!

Whatever you want in life – to start a business, obtain a graduate degree, or find the love of your life – I’ve led thousands of people in reaching dreams just like yours. And I KNOW you’re capable of reaching success with the help of my coaching. Reach out now and I’ll even offer you the first session for free!

Start here, start now!

“Mark’s deep coaching skills are profoundly insightful. As a coach who shows up fully and authentically, there is no stone he leaves unturned to help his clients see for themselves the highest future vision of themselves and then… he goes that extra mile to ensure that they have all the support that they need to actualise that vision. I am very grateful to Mark’s challenging yet nurturing coaching approach which is a perfect balance to have on the journey to true transformation.“— Monica Mascarenhas, Empowerment Coach