The Power Of Habit

The Power Of Habit

Adult Nonfiction
According to Charles Duhigg, author of The Power Of Habit: Why
We Do What We Do In Life And Business, much of our life is conducted
on autopilot. A decision or action that takes conscious intent
becomes something we do without thinking--a decidedly double edged
sword. On the good side it streamlines routines so we can accomplish
more. Remember how much concentration parallel parking took when you
first learned it? On the bad side it can lock us into practices that
we can't seem to break even when we come to regret them. I know my
mom used to wonder if I would jeopardize my future honeymoon by thumb
sucking when even the bitterest of substances had no effect on that
annoying practice.
Fortunately for us, Duhigg is quick to assert that habits do not
have to be destiny. If you become aware of the componants of habits
and analyze how they manifest themselves in your life you can replace
them with better responses to the cues that elicit them. Notice he
does not say giving them up because the cues are still there. Let's
look at that thumb sucking. Mom's just say no approach did not work
because I still went to bed every night. It was when I substituted
another way of getting to sleep (well before the honeymoon) that I was
able to keep my thumb where it would not deter a future husband.
Duhigg does a great service to all of us who would like to at
least tweak a habit. Rather than give one of those annoying my way or
the highway lists, he encourages self examination. What is it about a
cup of coffee that necessitates a cigarette? Why, despite best
intentions, do we often flop on the sofa and turn on the tv istead of
at least taking a walk? The kind of insight he encourages can become
a very workable action plan. One success can be the motivation for
more attempts in a positive cascade.
However, Duhigg gives us a whole lot more to ponder. He shows
us how his principles apply very well to marketing and movements.
He's got everything from why and how Target determines which of their
customers are pregnant to why Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus
seat triggered the Civil Rights movement. He uses a very readable
blend of research and anecdote to create a book most of us would do
well to read. You might just want to blunt the power of marketers to
reel you in with their highly researched tactics. And if you're at
all like me, yearning to change the world, you will find a real
treasure.
On a personal note, Duhigg shows that changing just one keystone habit
can lead to almost automotic transformations in others. That affirmed
something that had happened to me not long before I got my hands on
the book. I had some money my college professor mother had left me.
I decided to not only leave it alone in my savings account, but to add
a little each week. Even though I have no regular paying job I
decided it would happen. What I deposit is often just what I glean
from deposits on cans and bottles people throw out or toss on the road
side. By conventional standards it's highly unimpressive. I've heard
it quipped that: oh, wow, I have enough to buy one textbook. Just
having and adding to that small sum makes my goal of grad school feel
attainable. I've set a target year, attended an open house, gathered
information, and begun documenting my relevant school board vice chair
achievements (and arranging for really challenging ones) that can give
me an edge over the fresh-out-of-college competition. I walk taller
and speak with more confidence. I've told enough people my plans to
make chickening out not an option. Last but not least, walking has
gone from a bus fare saving obligation to year round Easter egg hunt,
thanks to those beautiful cans and bottles I can collect and cash in.
YOWZA!
A great big shout out goes out to all who strive to change the habits
that make their lives less fulfilling.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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