I don’t think there are many people out there who could say they don’t have any habits they would like to change, whether it be to move more, drink less alcohol, spend less time on their phone or to be more patient. At some point I have wanted to change all of those habits and have actually managed to do so. There are of course are plenty of habits I am still working on changing. I am very much a work in progress.
On the blog I have shared before some very major habits I have changed in my life, you can read the full details here but in brief they were:
- Quitting smoking after seven years of full-time smoking
- Kicking my diet coke addiction (regularly was drinking three cans a day)
- Moving from not exercising regularly, to running marathons
These personal experiences combined with a love of reading about the science of habit formation has allowed me to help others along the way to change habits and establish new positive habits, primarily through my Planned + Present e-course but also through info I share here on the blog and on the podcast. As noted in the quote below our daily habits have a huge impact on our happiness and success in life so putting time and energy into them pays huge dividends.
The reality is that changing habits is hard and the longer we have been doing a certain habit the more likely we are to find the habit hard to break. And some of the habits that are in our life have evolved subconsciously – we did it one day, then the next, then the next and it simply became something we do each day. We do them without even thinking about them.
But there are many things we can do to make changing habits easier that will give us the best chance of success.
A changing habits guide
This year I am joining in with Dry July to go alcohol free for the month. Since 2008 Dry July has inspired more than 250,000 Australians to go dry, raising $60 million for people affected by cancer, and funding projects at more than 80 cancer organisations across Australia.
For many changing the habit of having a glass of alcohol is super challenging. Not only is it part of their daily routine, it is part of how they socialise, how they celebrate and how they commiserate. I have set up a Dry July team for Adapt Drinks and want to get as many members as I can to join me in an alcohol free month. Going alcohol free for me isn’t a huge challenge, I haven’t had an alcoholic drink since the end of April so I have set myself a goal of trying to get as many people as possible to join the challenge with me!
Change can be scary and when it impacts many parts of your life, you can find all sorts of excuses as to why now is not the time to do it. There is however, never a perfect time and there will always be excuses as to why now is not the time to make a change. To help you realise that you can do it and give you practical guide on how to approach changing your drinking habits for July, I have created a Dry July Changing Habits Guide. You can download it here or simply click on the image or button below.
The guide will help you:
- Understand how the habit loop works
- Identify your habitual cues
- Create substitutes for the behavioural rewards we receive from our habits
- Have a plan on how to deal with triggering situations
- Track your habits
- Set yourself up for success
- Make a mindset switch about the habit change
- Surround yourself with likeminded and supportive folks
I will also be posting regularly on the Dry July Adapt Drinks Team page to provide encouragement, answer questions and share the journey with you.
Still not convinced to sign up for Dry July?
If you are still on the fence about joining team Adapt Drinks for Dry July, then these next items should get you across the line!
The Golden Ticket
So you are super keen to join me for Dry July but there is one event in July that you do not want to miss? I can totally relate. I have one event early in July that has been planned all year and is in fact a carry over event from being cancelled last year due to COVID. I was wary about joining Dry July because I know I am going to have alcohol on that day.
The clever team at Dry July has a solution for this and it is a Golden Ticket! A Dry July participant can have a night off the challenge if you buy a Golden Ticket. For a minimum cost of $25, you can have a night off and your donation helps make a difference to the lives of people affected by cancer. I have already bought myself one for the event that I have had planned for over a year. So don’t let one event stop you from being dry for the rest of July.
Adapt Drinks discount for Dry July Team members
To help you have a lovely non alcoholic drink at the end of the day that helps you relax, all Dry July Adapt Drinks Team Members that fundraise $20 or more will receive a discount code to entitle them to 20% off all Adapt Drinks orders from now until the end of July 2021! Once you hit the $20 target I will message you to send you the discount code.