3 Basic Truths of Behavior Change

change managementGoal-setting
Written By Kristen B Hubler

When I set out to drive the 348 miles from New Jersey to upstate New York, what I planned to do was only stop for gas. What I ended up doing was hike 3 mountains. That feels like quite a leap, but a few basic truths about behavior change can explain how I got there.

Truth 1: Good Choices are Exponential

There was a moment in the car when I realized - what's the rush? I had to stop for gas anyway, and so why not stop for a beer in Tupper Lake. There's a place I love right on the way, Raquette River Brewing, and so making the decision to stop there was an easy one. Enjoy the journey I thought to myself. Once I made that first good choice, that first effort to slow down and take my time, it made it easier to make another good choice. There are a lot of things at play here - a sort of positive version of the Diderot Effect (buying one thing leads to buying more things) combined with the Tetris Effect (if we spend time focusing on something now, it will impact what we focus on later). When I made the shift from "get there fast" to "enjoy the moment," I started to see more opportunities to do so. When I decided to make one stop, just the feeling was contagious and so I made another plan to stop and hike. I got a taste of something great and I wanted more of it. 

Truth 2: Ceremony Makes Motivation

The mountain I decided to hike first, Goodman Mountain, is part of a challenge known as the Tupper Lake Triad. The Triad is comprised of three hikes: Goodman Mountain, Coney Mountain, and Mount Arab. To complete the Triad, you need to hike all three in the same season. When I got to the top of Goodman, I was satisfied. I got some exercise, it was a nice view, and a great solitary hike. What made me hike the next mountain, wasn't my series of good choices, but rather the ceremony of it all. The Tupper Lake Triad is a thing, and because it was a thing, I wanted to do it. Keeping with good habits and choices in our life isn't always easy, but signing up for something and making it a "thing" can create some extra motivation.

Truth 3: Community Creates Commitment

Mt. Arab, the last summit to complete the triad, didn't happen because it was a series of good choices or even because of the Tupper Lake Triad. I was ready to call it quits, but the thing that made me do it was the fact that I had posted to social media. I did this intentionally, because I really did want to do it but I knew I would be tired. By making that post, calling out the Triad, and asking my community if I should go for #3, I gave myself accountability. For me, some of the most memorable moments in my life didn't just happen because of the way I naturally am. They happened because I got a little push from my community.

Good choices really are exponential, ceremony does create more motivation, and community helps you commit. Sometimes one of those is enough, but I find the bigger the challenge, the more likely I need all three.

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Kristen B Hubler

Inspiring growth in leadership and in life. 

https://www.KristenBHubler.com
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