Habits and Resolutions
From the Desk of . . .
Nick Jefson, Educator, SRAS
It is hard to believe that the year 2025 is already here. With the turn of the year, many will attempt to implement new routines and habits in their lives with hope to improve their health, relationships, or overall condition of life. These New Year's Resolutions have become common in our yearly routines but often are joked about as futile hopes to improve without the staying power of real change. This change - real, enduring change - is what we seek to inspire our students to achieve. We believe that through engaging students with facts about relationships, offering high expectations for them and their relationships, and equipping them with tools to achieve their goals, they truly can experience and sustain positive change in their lives - not merely a New Year’s Resolution.
But sticking to a new goal can be difficult and we can often feel defeated when we do not perfectly perform whatever goal we have set for ourselves. So how exactly do we stay determined and resolute on our new goals? How might we gain consistency and steadfastness in achieving positive change? We identify several practices to help in this area: (1) understand the importance of habits, (2) surround yourself with people who inspire your change and can keep you accountable, and (3) avoid situations where you might be tempted to renege on your new resolution. For the rest of our time, we will consider the importance of habits for establishing lasting life change.
In the book, The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg outlines how the human brain is wired to operate on habits. Our brains crave habits so that we can grow. Consider it this way: the first time you drive to a new job you are most likely highly aware of what is around you. You notice the trees, various buildings, and other landmarks that might be on your commute. However, after a few months, the journey becomes a habit for you and you can drive from your home to the office without much thought given to the turns you make or the things you pass. This is a good thing - you are learning a new habit and you are more able to deal with something that might be out of the ordinary - like a traffic jam or road closure. In this sense, habits become the foundation for positive growth and improvement in our lives. If we can identify our habits - both good and bad - we can focus on the positive ones, eliminate the negative ones, and introduce new ones to better improve our lives.
Understanding our potential and desire for habits can help us in all areas of life. In our classes, we engage with students about making healthy choices in their personal lives as well as in relationships. Most of us would want to make more regular healthy choices in life, but sometimes it's just hard. That is where the power of habits comes in. If we can intentionally teach ourselves new, healthy habits, then lasting change is possible.