A Lightning Bolt of Habit Change
In the spring of 2016 I was hit by lightning. Not actual lightning… a lightning bolt of habit change. In her book Better Than Before, Gretchen Rubin describes the strategy of the lightning bolt. It's where something shifts our perspective and as a result we change a habit instantly and effortlessly. Ironically the strategy of the lightning bolt is not a strategy at all because you cannot employ it, it's something that happens to you. In my experience it was very effective.
Here's what happened.
I was reading the book Conquer Worry by Jay Coulter (full disclosure, I know the author!). This book describes 36 different strategies that have been proven to reduce stress. The concept is to pick 5 or so that resonate with you and try them for 30 days. See what works, what doesn’t, and move forward towards a less stressful life. (Side bar: this book one of my favorite gifts for new parents and college students leaving home for the first time, clearly times when it’s necessary to conquer worry!) One of the protocols I picked was "Strict Sleep Routine" which encouraged having a consistent bedtime among other important components for a good night of sleep.
At the time I was in a phase of staying up until ridiculous hours of the night while eating junk food and watching truly terrible TV. It was a bad habit, but with my young kids and husband tucked into bed it was the only time I could have the house to myself. Or was it? I suddenly realized that if I went to bed by 10:00 each evening, I could wake up a full 2 hours before the family and still get 7 hours of sleep. It would solve for the alone time I craved and even better I could trade in junk food for coffee and TV for something productive and mindful; journaling, reading, or working out. Ah-ha moment. Win-Win. Lightning Bolt.
Ever since that day, Monday to Friday, I've woken up at 5:15am. This new habit was formed instantly and without any fuss. I've never backslid to my old ways. It's worthwhile noting that that I'd tried to wake up early in the past. There had been multiple attempts lasting a few weeks at most but it never stuck. Until that lightning bolt.
How do you create lightning?
The thing about the strategy of the lightning bolt is that it's unpredictable. Just like real lightning, we never know when or where it will strike. So what's the point of spending time thinking about it? While we can't predict it or will it into existence, we can create the right environment for it. The lightning bolt happens when we learn new information, or old information presented in a new way, and our mindset shifts and fundamentally changes what we believe. If we never seek out new ideas, it's unlikely that anything in our lives will ever change. The only way to encourage lightning is to expose ourselves to ideas.
Everyone has an area or two in life that they would like to improve; health, relationships, work. What are you trying to change? Are you actively looking for new ideas and methods that relate to this goal? Are you asking friends and acquaintances what works for them? There is no one right way to live your best life. We must expose ourselves to new ideas and try new things in order to find out what works for us. And while we can't create lightning - being open to ideas that can change how we think is how we create an environment where lightning is more likely to strike.