Well said, I think the empowering environment can’t be overstated. It’s very helpful when you have encouraging people, and mentors to help along the way. Some might say it’s a virtually essential component to make changes.

Sucking at things is always the first step. There are four levels of competence: unconscious incompetence, conscious incompetence, conscious competence, unconscious competence. Usually when you are sucking at something and you know it, you find yourself at the second level conscious incompetence. You have to surpass this level through the use of your willpower. Unfortunately, this level is also the most painful and most people will give up, so you need to use up a lot of your mental will to overcome it. Some things that help include creating a good environment around you, having friends push you through, always having a visualization of the benefits of becoming competent at that activity in front of you to push you…etc. After that stage, things will start becoming more and more automatic.

Fasho mate. I can totally relate. And the cool part is, that it wasn’t always that way. I used to hate working out and never did it. Then over the course of a year or so it was transformed, almost by accident. The next part of this habit stuff that I find interesting is how to apply it to things or other routines that don’t have such a direct a physiological link to happy chemicals, and how to somehow train the mind to give rewards for behaviors that we want to do, but just suck to do. If that makes sense

Hey Colin!

Thanks for taking the time and writing out such a comprehensive comment! 🙂

Yeah, it’s an interesting thing about how the brain works with habits. For me working out has become a must do. If I don’t do it, then I feel like shit. If I skip some of my workout sessions, I start feeling like shit and only get my energy back after a hard session at the gym. Partially, this might have to do with dopamine. When working out becomes a habit and you enjoy doing it, then the brain releases dopamine, which makes you feel good. If you skip out on the sessions, then the dopamine doesn’t get released and you feel bad. Here is an interesting article on the subject:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-compass-pleasure/201104/exercise-pleasure-and-the-brain