Reminders: The Secret to Change

There are probably thousands of books, articles, interviews, courses, talks, and ideas on how to create healthy new healthy habits in your life and how to stop ones that are not supporting you. Over 80% of all new year’s resolutions do not stick, so how can we change? 

One of the most impactful ideas in my study of happiness is the idea of reminders. Reminders are ESSENTIAL for creating last change in your daily habits. Know that habit formation and changing behavior is extremely hard. It takes time, motivation, effort, dedication, and support. The new, healthy habit must be a right fit for the person and the timing also needs to be right. The great thing is that reminders make creating habits or changing habits so much easier! 

Let’s use a real life example. 

I had the goal and intention of meditating daily and I really wanted to do this. I would do it for a few days, maybe a week and then stop. A few weeks would go by and then I would do it again for a week or so and on and on. It was not that I didn’t want to meditate for 10 minutes a day or that I didn’t have the time, it was just very hard committing to it and doing it.

I implemented reminders to support me with my daily goal and they have helped me tremendously. I bought a meditation pillow that sits in my room so I look at it every day. I also created a @myintent bracelet that says “Breath Calm”, and put the 10 minute meditation in my calendar so that I get a daily reminder on my phone.

There are daily, ever-present, and specific reminders that are easy and available to all of us. What one habit do you want to start or stop and what 2-3 reminders will you use so that you are successful? It would be amazing to hear what you tried and what worked! contact@arriveathappy.com