July 8

Affirmation: I am loved and cherished.

“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭54:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Joyful Decision: I choose to be happy
Atomic Habits by James ClearThe 4 Law for Building Atomic Habits (cont’d)

How to turn instant gratification to your advantage
The vital thing about getting a habit to stick is to feel successful – even if it’s in a small way. The feeling of success is a signal that your habit paid off and that the work was effective and worth it

In a perfect world, the reward for a good habit is the habit itself. In the real world, good habits tend to feel worthwhile only if they have provided you with something. Early on, it’s all sacrifice. You’ve gone to the gym a few times, but you’re not stronger or fitter or faster … at least not in a noticeable sense. It’s only months later, when you shed a few pounds or your arms gain some definition, that it becomes easier to exercise for its own sake. In the beginning, you need a reason to stay on track. This is why immediate rewards are essential they keep you excited while the delayed rewards accumulate in the background.

What we’re really talking about here when we’re discussing immediate rewards is the ending of a behavior. The ending of any experience is vital because we tend to remember it more than the other phases. We want the ending of your habit to be satisfying. The best approach is to reward and to use reinforcement, which refers to the process of using an immediate reward to increase the rate of a behavior. Habit stacking, which we covered earlier chapter 5 in the book, takes your habit to an immediate Cue which makes it obvious when to start. Reinforcement ties your habit to an immediate reward, which makes it satisfying when you finish.

Immediate reinforcement can be especially helpful when dealing with habits of avoidance, which are behaviors you want to stop doing. It can be challenging to stick to habits like no frivolous purchases or no alcohol this month because nothing happens when you skip happy hour drinks or don’t buy that pair of shoes. It can be hard to feel satisfied when there is no action in the first place. All you’re doing is resisting temptation, and there isn’t much satisfying about that.

One solution is to turn the situation on its head. You want to make avoidance visible. Open a savings account and label it for something you want maybe leather jacket. Whenever you pass on a purchase, put the same amount of money in the account. Skip your morning latte? Transfer five dollars. Pass on another month of Netflix? Move $10 over. It’s like creating a loyalty program for yourself the immediate reward of seeing yourself save money toward the leather jacket feels a lot better than being deprived. You are making it satisfying to do nothing. 

Eventually, as intrinsic rewards like a better mood, more energy, and reduce stress kick in, you’ll become less concerned with chasing the secondary reward. The identity itself becomes the reinforcer. You do it because it’s who you are and it feels good to be you. The more it becomes part of your life, the less you need outside encouragement to follow through. Incentives can start a habit. Identity sustains a habit.

Use your journal and review your habits, your routines, your desires. 

Consider what reinforcements you need to build the habit into automatic.