Limitless - Jim Kwik Page 0,60

and we also know that the key to breaking bad habits is to replace them with more constructive ones. But how do you make something a habit? Just remember WIN:

W is for Want: Make sure you really want it. It’s nearly impossible to turn something into a habit if you don’t want to do that thing. Does one of the motivators in the Fogg Model apply to the habit you’re trying to adopt? If not, is there something close to this habit that might accomplish something similar for you?

I is for Innate: Does the new habit you’re trying to adopt align well with your innate abilities? Remember that you’re unlikely to make something a habit when it is consistently difficult for you to perform. If the habit you’re trying to adopt is something that you’re good at or you know you can be good at, you’re well on your way.

N is for Now: Create a prompt for yourself that encourages you to perform the new habit now. This can be anything from a reminder on your phone to placing something in your office that makes you remember to set aside time to do what you’re setting out to do.

GROWING YOUR LIFE ONE HABIT AT A TIME

In case you’re still wondering how much of an effect establishing good habits can have on your life, let me share a story about one of our clients. Xiang suffered from schizophrenia and depression. He often heard voices telling him to hurt himself or others, and he endured several stints in psychiatric wards because of this. After finding the right medication and emerging from his latest round of treatment, he discovered my podcast and learned some of the tactics that I teach in my school. He started listening on a regular basis and participated in the Kwik Challenge, a series of exercises I take people through to introduce novelty to their thinking and therefore keep their brains tuned for learning.

At first, this was hard for Xiang, but he focused on doing just two particular challenges: brushing his teeth with his opposite hand and taking a cold shower every morning. He increased his time under the cold water by one minute each week and, in doing so, discovered that being able to do something hard, like standing under freezing cold water for several minutes each morning, made him realize that there were areas in his life in which he was fighting for his limitations. Building from these Kwik Challenge experiences, he started applying what he was learning about habits and behavior change to other areas.

Xiang’s life improved dramatically. He took his driver’s license test and passed. He changed his diet, cut out sugary drinks, and started taking a five-minute jog in the park every morning. He started reading books—the first being Mindset by Carol Dweck—and as he read, he listened to baroque music to pace his reading and distract himself from hallucinations. It took him a month to finish the book, but when he did, he felt a sense of confidence he had never had before. Trips to the library became a regular thing. Xiang has even taken his learning to the next level and enrolled in computer science classes at a local college. And the best part is that he now believes he is a lifelong learner.

You may think that because of all your past failed attempts to change your habits and routines you’re doomed to failure forever. Xiang’s story shows that by changing just one or two small habits in your day, incredible progress can follow. Something as simple as brushing your teeth with the opposite hand can be the start to an entirely new way of life.

ESTABLISHING A MORNING ROUTINE

Why is your morning routine so important? I strongly believe that if you jump-start your day by jump-starting your brain with a series of simple activities, you have a huge advantage. In addition, if you set up winning routines early in the day, you can benefit from what Tony Robbins calls “the science of momentum”: the notion that once you set accomplishment in motion, you can keep it in motion with much less effort than if you were trying to accomplish something from a standing start.

I have a carefully developed morning routine to help me win the day that involves priming my mind. I don’t do every single one of these things every day, especially when I’m traveling, but I always do most of them, and I know for certain that it gets me