This daily habit that gives meaning to your life

Who has never wanted to change their life to improve their current daily life? Even if the desire remains very present, this stage of change nonetheless sometimes remains difficult. Indeed, establishing a new habit does not happen overnight, quite the contrary.

According to a study published in the journal Social and Personality Psychology Compassthe link between the desire to implement a new habit, does not always correspond to the reality of change and behavior. Clearly, as much as we want to change, taking action is not always easy. And to the notion of habit, habitual impulses are generally added.

The power of impulse of habit

Kesako? Dr. Benjamin Gardner, co-author of the study and professor of psychology at the University of Surrey, explained the definition of this phenomenon in a statement: “Impulses are like babies, each crying for our attention: we can only attend to one at a time. These impulses come from various sources: intentions, emotions and habits. We act on the impulse that demands our attention by shouting as loud as possible.”

He added: “Habit impulses are usually the ones that scream the loudest, guiding us to do what we usually do, even when other impulses are competing for our attention. However, there are times when other impulses scream louder.” These impulses for change clash with our real habits, so it is sometimes difficult to stay the course and ensure change. The study indicates that a stronger, more stable intention can often trump even deeply ingrained habits. The reason? This impulse and freedom of action offers “generally more opportunities for individuals to exercise self-control and align their actions with their goals”the report says.

This means that to successfully change your life, you must, of course, implement new habits, but above all, let yourself be carried away by your impulses and freedom of action. These small impulses can have even more life-changing impact.