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Power of habit

Why do we do develop habits? And how can we change them? Why can some people change overnight, and some stay stuck in their old ruts?

We can always change. If you do just about anything frequently enough over time, you will form a habit that will control you.

And its more powerful than you can imagine.

Habit is probably the most powerful tool in your brain’s toolbox. It is driven by a golf-ball-sized lump of tissue called the basal ganglia at the base of the cerebrum. It is so deep-seated and instinctual that we are not conscious of it, though it controls our actions.

Good habits are those that get you to do what your “upper-level you” wants, and bad habits are those that are controlled by your “lower-level you” and stand in the way of your getting what your “upper-level you” wants.

– Dalio, Ray. Principles: Life and Work

Research suggests that if you stick with a behavior for approximately eighteen months, you will build a strong tendency to stick to it nearly forever.

Habits aren’t destiny. They’re science, one which can transform our our lives.

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Newton’s third law applied to life

For every action (such as easy money and credit) there is a consequence (in this case, higher inflation) roughly proportionate to that action, which causes an approximately equal and opposite reaction

– Dalio, Ray. Principles: Life and Work

Newton’s third law applies to how we create meaningful change in our lives. With each action we take, there is an invisible force providing resistance in the opposite direction.

The greater the reaction, the harder it is to reliably sustain. Meaningful change almost never happens quickly and we need to learn to be okay with that.

A way to use this law effectively is to start slow and maintain consistency.