I used to be an addict.
No matter how hard I tried, I could not resist the urge nor could I fight the temptation.
I went to bed planning for it.
I woke up dreaming about it.
I even scheduled my days around it.
I’m talking about coffee, of course. What were you thinking? 😉
Seriously, I could not function without a cup and could not bear to forego a sip for even a day.
You might be familiar with this addiction…or perhaps a sugar one, an email one, a social media one, a gossip one, a soda one, a cigarette one…or another.
For several health-related reasons, I tried to quit my addiction.
But it was hard. Change is really hard.
I have told myself that for most of my adult life. It’s also something I hear from people all the time.
When you tell yourself something enough times, you can always find evidence to support it.
Our behaviors are sneaky like that.
But guess what?
It’s just not true.
The idea that “change is hard” is one of the biggest myths we embrace.
So why do we hold onto it?
Because it’s easier to justify when we fail to make movement.
Or when we opt out of trying.
Or when we give up on our habit after a few days.
Change is hard. That’s what we tell ourselves. That’s what we declare to our friends. And unfortunately, that’s what we teach to our children too.
But the truth is you have an innate power to change…and quite effortlessly too.
IF you choose to change one thing.
Your environment.
Change your environment and you will naturally change your habits.
I wouldn’t have believed it either until…
Our last bag of coffee was over, and I didn’t buy another.
Nada. None. Zero replacements.
When the coffee wasn’t there, I had no coffee to make.
I’m not gonna lie. The first few days were bad.
I craved my addiction immensely. But by the end of the week, I proclaimed myself a former coffee addict. (Now I’m fine indulging in a cup once every couple of weeks).
Although I never could have imagined this change, in the grand scheme of sicknesses, relationships, economies, business, parenting, and the like, dare I say it: it really wasn’t that hard.
When you change your environment, your habits will naturally change too.
Apply this to losing weight. Get rid of sugar products, have workout clothes by your morning bedside, and keep six water bottles on the kitchen counter.
What’s the chance you won’t have some change in your health habits?
Apply this to your addiction to social media. Eliminate the app from your phone and choose to see posts ONLY from your friends.
What’s the chance you won’t have some change in your scrolling habits?
Apply this to staying focused. Remove everything from your space, buy a physical timer to keep on your desk, and go offline on Outlook until noon daily.
What’s the chance you won’t have some change in your focus?
Change your environment and you will naturally change your habits.
So what about you?
What myth is keeping you back? Where are you telling yourself that change is too hard?
And most importantly, how will you change your environment?
If you’re into accountability, please leave me a comment below and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.
Remember, you were born with an innate power to create change. Use your power today.
To getting more of the right things done!
XO,
Mridu
P.S. Did you know I run lots of virtual trainings? (Like how to make your meetings, focus, projects, communications, to-do lists, etc. more effective). If your team, department, or organization could benefit from simple ways to get focused, get more time, and feel less overwhelmed, please reach out or connect me with the right person. It’s more important than ever that we amp up our productivity skills as we navigate through this crazy time! (mridu@lifeisorganized.com)
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