Keystone habits are described in Charles Duhigg's book, The Power of Habit. These are foundational practices that tend to have a cascade effect on other habits. For example, a study found that (although it didn't prompt the experimental group to try to improve these areas) when people were purchased a free gym membership and went regularly, compared with the control group; their finances and clean eating habits improved while their drinking, smoking, and promiscuity decreased. Why did exercise improve so many other areas of the exercise groups' lives while the control group saw no changes in any area? Certain habits are more transformational than others. That is, the creation and foundation of one keystone habit can literally create an upward spiral, improving many other areas of your life.
I experienced this personally when I began my own journey of transformation when I began to meditate daily about eight years ago. Being a keystone habit, meditation is research proven to create many pro-social behaviors. I personally experienced this when I saw my punctuality, organization, productivity increase, while my use of alcohol, junk food, TV and other sewer drains of the soul decreased drastically over time. In addition, I enjoyed other changes due to meditation such as decreased frequency of migraines, increased immune function, etc. (The actual change was so gradual it was almost imperceptible but like most great changes, was a combination of strategically-placed good decision making and consistence that led to substantial changes over the last eight years.) This eventually led to me adapting another keystone habit formation which was daily exercise. Now this may have been (besides quitting smoking), the hardest lifestyle change I have ever made - and am most proud of - just scroll through my FB timeline and you'll note the bragging quality of my posts! However, this foundational habit led to a transformation in eating more plants, increased energy level, higher consumptions of knowledge through audiobooks and actual books, writing more, producing more art, having the confidence to become a yoga teacher, developing a personal practice, overcoming the ravages of chronic daily stress, overcoming tragedy and trauma and working through grief. Now can I say definitively that exercise caused all of these changes? Probably not. I wouldn't hasten to make that claim. However, there is definitely a correlation though. So that's good enough for the scientist in me. And I can say this. Humans are a mental continuum. We exist in a body that's constantly changing, a mind that shifts endlessly and consciousness whose origin has defied even the most erudite scientists. We are not the same person we were born, nor who we were in MS, HS, or even college. We constantly change. So if we are moving constantly in one direction or another...why not make it an upward trajectory for your life? Start with a keystone habit and you may find that you are happily spiraling towards a better life and better you! Here is a list of keystone habits from liveboldandbloom.com:
So pick one and please comment below your commitment to a positive trajectory for your future! -Betty Lynn
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AuthorBetty Lynn is an writer, educator, artist, illustrator and yoga teacher living in the suburbs of New York City. Archives
October 2019
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