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The way you live often reflects how your mind works. If you're in an unhealthy environment, you’re most likely to feel bad about yourself and have terrible self-esteem. The habits you subconsciously practice without noticing are the reasons your life is the way it is. Habits have a huge role in how your life becomes overall.
In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, he introduces a four-step pattern of habit formation. First, there's the cue. Then, craving and response. Finally, reward. These steps help give you a clear understanding of how to turn a goal into a habit. But it all starts from above.
Cue is the first step in habit formation. It’s when a piece of information suggests there’s a reward to be found. Examples of this may be fame, riches, power, etc. Let’s use an example to help guide how this works.
Say there is something you want. You’ve been scrolling through social media (TikTok, Instagram), and you see this luxury lifestyle that’s been trending all over, and you want to be a part of that circle. Your cue is wealth and power.
Craving is the second step in habit formation. It’s the motivation to change something to achieve whatever you may be working towards or just want. Well, since you’ve already made up your mind about what you want, how are we going to go through with the plan?
You go out to the nearest mall or outlet and search vicariously through the luxury and designer brands placed out in front of everyone to see. You want this Hermes bag and these designer heels because they make you feel expensive.
Responding is the third step of habit formation. What action or thought are we taking to achieve the final destination? How can we make this lifestyle a reality instead of a thought?
You work a 9-to-5 job and are exhausted, but you need a way to make steady money to live well. So, you work and work until you save enough to purchase things that you find classy and that fit into the lifestyle you’ve been aching for. Then you explore public places that tend to have expensive men with connections to get you on a higher status because known attracted known.
Last but not least, the reward is the last step in habit formation. The euphoric feeling of accomplishing what you have gotten You’ve worked hard to achieve this lifestyle, and now you can live in luxury with the bonus of having a partner next to you.
This is the most basic and effective way to build a habit. It can take up to six months to set a habit in place. Find your specific goal and use these steps to achieve it.
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