The Secret Sauce of Habit Building (something no one told you!)

H(f) = (C + Ro + Re)rep

Wait! Don’t freak out! … I was nearly scared away too when I first found out personal development was all about math.

“ugh… Ella… personal development is not math. It’s totally subjective – that’s why it’s called personal development!”

Well, you are on the right track, but you’re missing a vital connection. Personal development is personal to you, which is where the subjective element comes into play. But personal development is optimized using mathematical formulas like the one at the beginning of this post.

Easy, Habitual, or Both?

I discovered the power of habit for the first time during high school.See, when I was 14, I had a hemorrhagic stroke which set-back my personal development. But more specifically, my stroke set me back when it came to the development of my athletics and academics.

Long story short, sometime after my stroke I physically rehabilitated and started playing soccer again. And when I did, I realized there were certain skills I could still do because I had created habits out of those skills before I had my stroke. Those habits remained after my stroke because the area of my brain where those habits were stored (the basal ganglia) remained intact and undamaged.

The second time I recognized the profound effects of habit was in university when I started working in the service industry for the second time. Because I previously worked in the service industry throughout high school, I had created good habits of talking to customers, moving quickly between tasks, and becoming as efficient s possible while cashing-out customers at the register.

At first, it seemed like certain movements on the soccer field and at the cash register were easier for me because I had some sort of natural talent. But that was not the case – the real reason those movements seemed easier was because they were habitual. That is when I had my a-ha moment: I could simplify my personal development if I turned specific personal development activities into habits!

Habit(f) = (Cue + Routine + Reward)repetition

Let’s figure out the math behind habit.

Habit is a standard formula (the one you see above). And although cues, routines, and rewards will be different for everyone, the basic formula stays the same. So figuring out how to create a habit out of your diet, job, or hobby is pretty much like doing math that only makes sense in your world (a concept that totally would’ve helped me ace my Grade 11 Mathematical Functions course).

Different habits work for different people. That said, habits for diets, workout regimens, self-care regimens, study regimens, etc, will differ from person to person. My goal is to help you implement the habits that work for you.

Now the important part: since habit is a simple mathematical formula, it is more beneficial for me to teach how your current habits can be broken and how new habits can be learned, rather than teach you to adopt specific habits.

White and Black Mother's Day Personal Instagram Post.png

From Routine to Habit

When you create bad habits, you subconsciously commit to things that are not beneficial to you in the long term (for example, overeating, not working out, and poor self talk). So my job is to help you experiment with the habit formula to break those bad commitments and then, again use the habit formula to re-commit to things that are beneficial to your mental and physical health.

Have you ever said something like this:

“I know I need to do my occupational therapy exercises, but I don’t have time.”

There are a few reasons why that happens:

1) Knowing that you should be doing exercises does not mean you want to do exercises.

2) You are relying on self-discipline instead of habit.

3) Underlying and unaddressed bad habits are preventing you from making time for the exercises.

4) You have not used the habit formula to create a habit out of particular exercises…. At least not yet 😉

That’s where I come in!

“If you want to start making more time for rehab, I am here to help you change your habits and kick-start your good behavior. Whatever your problems might be, if you want to tackle the root of them, you have to start reflecting on your habits.”

— Ella

If you want to start learning about habits today, why not sign-up for my up-coming online workshop? Follow this link to register. And if you want to work with me one-on-one whether it be for 1 free consultation, a handful or sessions, or even unlimited 24/7 coaching over a three or 6 month time period, follow this link here.

If you guys enjoyed this post, don’t forget to share it with at least 1 friend. Your support is always appreciated!

As always, I hope you have a great day and don’t forget to make this the #YearofYou!

Here is a youtube video to embed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjfLPsSK3go&t=780s

THE SECRET SAUCE of HABIT BUILDING by Ella Sofia