Have you ever failed to follow through on a goal or a resolution, such as to lose weight, get a better job or stop smoking? Of course you have. We all do.
Usually we get frustrated with our lack of progress and we give up. What if there was a technique you could follow that would help you stay focused and actually create the kind of changes you need to improve your life?
Art Markman, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at the University of Texas and blogs regularly for Psychology Today, the Huffington Post and the Harvard Business Review.
In his new book, “Smart Change: Five Tools to Create Sustainable Habits in Yourself and Others,” he breaks down why he have troubles modifying our behavior and why our brains are very good at creating habits that we can perform mindlessly. In other words, when we try to break a habit, we’re trying to fight our evolution.
He explains why it’s better to focus on positive goals rather than trying to stop doing something. When you make the positive changes, it’s easier for you to break those bad habits.
Find out some of the characteristics of his five sets of goals and get your action plan for making changes that will stick.