What if we barged into your room tomorrow with a gun to your head with this ultimatum: Change your life in 24 hours or pull the trigger. Sounds insane? Then why do you do it to yourself? Like, isn’t that exactly how you approach habit change – as if our lives depend on instant, dramatic transformations. It's killing you, dearest!

So! Forget everything you've heard about habit formation and meet BJ Fogg! He's a behavior scientist who's distilled years of research into a method so counterintuitive, it borders on absurd. But it works wonders, so who cares! His book, Tiny Habits, is the antidote to the "go big or go home" mentality that's left so many of us feeling like failures in the self-improvement arena.

Now, let’s jump into the quantum realm of personal growth where teeny tiny habits can trigger chain reactions of positive change. No pressure, no guilt, no heroic willpower required.

Let's face it - change isn't always a walk in the park. And for years, we've been scared with “you can never get rid of bad habits” bla bla blahh! Fogg totally flips this script!

For two decades, he dug deep into the science of habit formation at Stanford. Most of us want to improve our lives. But there's a gap between what we want and what we do. Besides, the real problem isn't you - it's the faulty instructions you've been given. You’re approach to this whole thing is wrong. Almost like trying to build furniture with pieces missing. You wouldn't blame yourself for that mess, would you?

So no more "shame on you" for not hitting the gym or skipping that kale smoothie. Instead, let's talk about Fogg’s not-so-secret weapon: Tiny Habits. It's a method he’s tested with over 40,000 people. That's right, forty thousand. And, it works! Duh!

Here's the scoop: change doesn't have to be a chore. If only you learn to start small - tiny, even. Floss one tooth levels of tiny. It might sound silly, but there's solid science behind it. Your Instagram that you're probably addicted to? One of its cofounders was Fogg’s student. He used these same principles to design THE app that keeps millions glued to their phones. Now, imagine using that power for good - to transform your own life.

So, once again, how do we make change stick? You change your mindset. Stop being so hard on yourself. Seriously, give yourself a break. Next, take those big dreams and aspirations and chop them into bite-sized pieces. Finally, embrace your slip-ups. They're not failures; they're learning opportunities. Life’s a fun experiment. You're not failing if something doesn't work; you're discovering what does work for you. Mood!

You see, changing your habits doesn’t need heroic willpower or strict regimens. Working with your brain, and not against it, should be enough. As Fogg puts it, tiny is mighty. Your small steps can lead to big changes. 

Step 1 to mastering anything is to understand it, right? Let’s do that first.

Now! The M. Motivation. Humans are dreamers by nature, but turning those dreams into reality often proves challenging. We've all been there - setting ambitious goals, only to find our enthusiasm waning as time goes on. Sandra and Adrian's backyard is a classic tale of motivation gone awry. One minute they're riding high on the American Dream, envisioning a lush garden oasis. The next, they're staring at knee-high grass and a scary compost pile, wondering where their enthusiasm went. Sound familiar? That's because motivation, while powerful, is often unreliable. Fogg calls this the "Motivation Wave," that surge of excitement we feel when starting a new project or resolution. And the thing about waves is that they eventually crash. 

But!

As you now know, motivation is just one piece of the behavior change puzzle. And it is complex, with competing and conflicting drives pulling us in different directions. So, only motivation cannot be the answer. You gotta tweak how you approach the Behavior Design Model. Which starts with clarifying your aspiration – what do you really want? Maybe like Fogg, you want to get to sleep early. With that as your aspiration, you brainstorm behavior options. With the "Swarm of Behaviors" tool. This is step #2. Jot down e.v.e.r.y potential habit that’ll help fix your behavior – like install blackout blinds, or eat dinner an hour earlier. Now, here's where it gets relevant for us: instead of relying on willpower or motivation, you find and match yourself with specific habits. That’s step #3. How, exactly? You categorize the potential habits from step #2 on a chart based on their impact and feasibility. Focus not on your aspiration to sleep early, but on the impact and real-life feasibility of these habits. For instance, eat dinner an hour early “every day” is impactful, but not feasible. Installing blackout blinds is both effective and realistic to implement, since you just have to do it once. Get it?

Once you’re done with this chart, in the upper-right corner of this Focus Map, you’ll find what Fogg calls the Golden Behaviors! They're effective, you want to do them, and you can actually do them. Focus on these, and you’ll not lose motivation. Problem solved!

The next step in the process of Behavior Design is to make things as simple as possible!