Why bad habits are easy to form and good ones take time.

Before you can form any habit, you’re exploring. You’re an astronaut among the stars with unlimited resources, searching for the right planet to land on.

The first one is okay, you like the scenery. It’s a very mountainous terrain.

The second one is not so good, there’s no oxygen. Very little land.

The third one is okay, you like the forests and wildlife. Similar to earth.

The fourth one is the best. You’ve found a tribe of natives and they worship you like a god that has descended from the heavens.

Which planet would be drawn to the most? I’d go for the fourth one.

Why? Because the rewards are instant.

Every other planet needs work to make it habitable. The fourth is the easiest because you have everything you want at your fingertips.

Instant rewards come with bad habits. That’s how you spot them.

Scrolling Instagram or Tik Tok is an instant reward. It’s coincidentally a bad habit.

Partaking in drugs has it’s instant reward. It’s also a bad habit.

Reading a book doesn’t usually have an instant reward. But reading over time keeps your mind active.

Taking the stairs rather than the elevator doesn’t have an instant reward. But becoming more active over time has health benefits.

That’s how you tell the difference.

This is why it’s easier to create bad habits. You get instant rewards.

If a dog was given a treat every time it barked, it would bark all the time.

Instead, we give them treats when they do something good. Like sit, roll over, or high five.

If there isn’t an instant reward attached to a habit, it’ll be harder for you to keep going with it.

If there is an instant reward attached to the habit, ask yourself - is this really helping me be who I want to be?