By: Carrie Boan- Staff Writer & Community Communications
Have you ever looked at a bag of juicy ripe oranges and thought “fresh squeezed orange juice would taste so good right now….but my goodness that’s a lot of work”! Is it worth it? How bad do we want that fresh, sweet healthy juice? Cutting, squeezing, twisting that orange half on the juicer….will it be worth it? Of course it will be if we’re willing to put in the work and truly believe the juice will taste that delicious! Consider the effort it will take to get new juices flowing in your life and business…is the juice worth the squeeze?
YOUR PAYOFF FOR DESIRED CHANGED BEHAVIOR MUST BE GREATER than the payoff of your current behavior. Looking ahead to the end of this year and beginning of the next, we often decide suddenly to create new habits to improve our lives. Why don’t we do this now? Why wait until the new year? Is your payoff for your desired change big enough for you to deal with the challenges you’ll face implementing new habits and leaving behind old hang-ups? Is it worth it?
We all have traits we want to change whether it’s eating habits, exercising, journaling, sales strategies, communication, or management style in business. We all know it takes intentional effort to replace a habit, but a reward factor must be present also. Actually not just present, the new reward factor must feel bigger and better to you than what you are doing now! We all want results, so does your brain. In order for your new behavior to “stick”, your brain must experience pleasure as a result – a dopamine boost.
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter intricately involved with pleasure, focus, and motivation. When you sip your diet coke that you love oh so much…..dopamine boost. When you win $20 on a scratch of ticket…. dopamine boost. When you get a promotion or compliment at work….
dopamine boost. Guess what else boosts dopamine? Exercise, walking outside, friends, and whole host of other activities that may replace some not-so-productive habits. Would it be worth it to chase a new source of dopamine? Is the juice worth the squeeze?
“When you squeeze an orange, orange juice comes out because that’s what’s inside. When you are squeezed, what comes out is what is inside.”
– Dr. Wayne Dyer
Consider these questions and write out your responses in creating your new life:
- How will this new habit improve my life? (weight loss, healthier mind, more money, more time with family) Get specific in how implementing a change would boost your dopamine. List the rewards you will experience from making this change. By doing this, you will visually see future dopamine boosts creating a new habit or lifestyle will provide which in turn gives you the feeling of happiness.
- When will be ideal to begin this? A new job may not be feasible to begin right away, but taking steps to apply for new positions may launch the process and give you dopamine drips of inspiration until you can change permanently. Exercise may be a new life you begin right now, but if you’ve never been a gym person, signing a year-long membership may not be the best way to initiate your new adventure. Even a brisk 20 minute walk creates neurotransmitters in our brain which boosts dopamine production and feel-good hormones. This will give you immediate reward, build on this habit, then grow into working out home or going to a gym!
- What will I do to keep me on track? Science has proven it takes 66 days on average to implement a new habit. Please forget the 21 days, that is a fitness gym marketing tool. Don’t get discouraged, you can miss and mess-up in those 66 days and not wreck your goals. However, planning ahead for small intentional rewards for yourself along the way will help keep you focused on your end prize. You exercised 3 days this week as schedule? Time to treat yourself to a manicure. You replaced your diet coke with water 5 times this week? Time to treat yourself to lunch with friends to share your goal and progress. Reward yourself to feel that dopamine now!!
As we implement our new habits, our old habits will still be there. New neural pathways are forming to create our new habits, but those take time (66 days and counting) to build to become the default way of thinking and being. Old habits will always be there, but by making the conscious choice to use our new way we strengthen the new neural pathways. We have a choice daily to create a life we want to live or stay stuck in a stale world we become frustrated with. Let’s challenge each other to think about a new healthier, happier life now! Let’s start today as you read this article! Consider what ONE behavior you would like to improve upon or change, determine ONE thing you can do daily to work towards the change, and think about ONE positive result you will see or experience when you initiate this behavior.
Start with ONE!! Squeeze that one orange, then the next, and the next to begin to see the juices flowing. When you experience that dopamine, that sweet juice of focused effort, your rewards will be more than worth the squeeze!