We’ve all been there. Inspiration strikes. You’ve watched that program, read that book, spoken to that person and you suddenly have vivid clarity of thought and renewed focus. “I am going to do this!” You might invest in something to help you and start a new daily practice with gusto. But then, you miss a day here and there, you don’t see the results as quickly as you had hoped, you start to doubt your decision or the process, and the event that inspired you in the first place starts to fade into the distant past. New habits are slowly taken back over by old habits that sit more within your comfort zone. Gah! It is so frustrating!

How does this play out in everyday life?

Over time, this cycle starts to erode your self-confidence. You start to doubt your judgement and your impulsivity becomes a stick you beat yourself with. You start to tell yourself the story that you ‘never stick to anything’ because you are ‘lazy, unfocused, lack discipline, are not as good as other people, will never change’, and basically that you are worth-less. This self-talk does little to fuel the motivation and positivity tank, so it further fuels the negative confidence cycle.

Origins

People struggle to introduce new practices and activities into their daily routines for a number of reasons. Feeling too busy, breaking old habits and a lack of support from people around us may all make introducing habits feel like an insurmountable challenge. Often the fear that we will fail can also hold us back or make us give up quickly. However, resistance to change is normal and failure is a natural part of this. With time and effort and an acceptance that it may not be perfect at first, daily practice can become a part of your life going forward.