Is determination alone enough to change those bad habits?

Most of us are taught that if we try hard enough we can achieve any goal. But sometimes, when we’ve spent years reinforcing a habit, determination is not going to be enough to change that pattern. Of course, being determined is an essential ingredient in changing clothes, but in my 20 years as a mentor and coach of entrepreneurs I can guarantee you that it is not enough.

This is why…

Your habits are the direct result of your beliefs.

No matter how determined you are to get it right, if your beliefs are not congruent with the ACTION you need to take, no amount of pushing, forcing, and challenging yourself will be sustainable. You will most likely see a change for a few days, a quick burst of momentum, but within 10-21 days you will be back to the waiting habits.

That’s because your core beliefs energetically match the actions you take (or don’t take).

If you tend to put off business growth activities, you probably have conflicting beliefs about success.

Or maybe you are not brave enough to charge more for your offers. But you look around and realize that many are charging more, MUCH more! So you think to yourself, “There is no way that would work for me, no one would pay me more.“Or you’ll think about it for a while and come to a conclusion.”I just can’t do it, what if no one buys at that price?

If we were to follow that line of thinking, we would probably find that at some deep level you have a limiting belief about your worth.

Here’s another example…

Your coach shows you how to organize your time more effectively. You KNOW what you should be doing every day to get traction, but somehow every day you get sucked into a bunch of distractions and low-profit activities.

You know you SHOULD be doing things differently, but you are NOT doing them. Why? Because deep down you are conflicted about success. You think you want to make more money or have a successful business, but you have been carrying around this belief, what we could call a story, about what would happen!

You fear what you would have to give up – family time, your freedom, a hobby or maybe even your deep belief that you are not good enough.

Are you afraid of what people might think? – you think you’re better than them or that you’re bad.

And you may even worry that giving your business everything you’ve got could explode. What if it doesn’t work? What will people think?

So how do you change your clothes permanently?

You have to re-encode your beliefs, the internal thought patterns and ideas that shape your decision-making, to raise the level of the actions or habits you take. Sometimes you can change instantly by becoming aware of the belief that dictates your actions; sometimes you need guidance to identify the correct limiting beliefs so you can recode them.

Another approach is to make a list of all the beliefs, stories, and excuses you tell yourself to keep that habit alive. Then, each time you catch yourself with your old habit, ask yourself: “What am I telling myself right now to keep this habit going? Is it really true or am I just telling myself this?” That should help you break the old habit. Be sure to instantly replace the old habit with a new one that is more aligned with your ideal outcome!

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