What is Your Habit Story?

Habits. We all have them. We all have some idea of how our habits impact us...usually after the fact. Have you ever wanted to change your habits? Have you identified habits in your life that are hurting you or holding you back? The answer to those questions is probably yes. But changing habits is difficult, right?!

What are habits?

Habits are patterns (based in neural pathways) that we have developed over time. Simple explanation, their source is one of two things, pleasure or pain. We seek more pleasure or try to avoid pain. This is a part of our survival instincts. We want to live our best lives and do our best work. But then those pesky habits keep getting in the way!

Not all habits are counterproductive. We have many productive habits that help us every day. So why do the counterproductive habits seem to have greater impact? Because they are present in every situation we experience. Think of it this way...the counterproductive habits are like rocks in a backpack that you carry around every day. The larger the number of these "rocks", the heavier the weight you carry and the more it tends to slow you down. Every counterproductive habit that you can minimize reduces that load and allows you more freedom, energy, focus, and confidence to move forward and achieve more.

Assessing Habits

That all sounds good, but where do you start? We have a general idea of the counterproductive habits we have, but that is not enough to change those habits, or we would have already done that. We have to have deeper insight to find the root cause for those habits. We probably have blind spots as well. Counterproductive habits are not there by accident. At some point that habit has rewarded us in some way, so we reinforced it. But at what cost? Usually, counterproductive habits negatively impact relationships, trust, performance, collaboration, confidence, decision making, leading yourself and others, and many other areas of our lives. It is important to get a 360 view of how a habit is impacting us and those around us.

Not to be left out, productive habits are critical as well. The more we can focus on productive habits and minimize counterproductive habits, the more we can leverage those to achieve more. Success, satisfaction, enjoyment, accomplishments, confidence, happiness are all outcomes of productive habits. The more capacity we have in our productive habits, the more we can reach our goals and dreams.

Enter the HABIT STORY assessment. Only two times in the past 35 years have I used the term "game-changing" when it comes to tools that will help people transform their lives at home and at work. The first was almost 10 years ago when I incorporated EQ (emotional intelligence) assessments and tools into my work with individuals, teams, and organizations. Now is the second time with the HABIT STORY assessment. Why? Habit Story provides insight you cannot get through any other assessment. It measures both productive and counterproductive habits on the same scale, and identifies the root cause underneath these habits in a way that accelerates change and transformation. Here is a look at a section of a Habit Story report (this is a small part of a very robust and valuable report):

If you want to learn more about the Habit Story assessment, here is a link that will provide you that opportunity: Habits and Habit Story Defined

Current Wisdom

There are many good resources out there that talk about habits. I have read many books and articles on this topic. When I first learned of the Habit Story assessment, I was a little skeptical. How do you measure habits? Can you really tell me what habits are helping or hurting me? How do you identify the root causes of these habits and then help me change those? Then I decided to explore Habit Story and the science behind it. What I found was that it is not just one science, but multiple sciences brought together in a way that is absolutely unique and valuable! That gave me a lot of confidence in what I was seeing and hearing. 

I have the privilege of knowing the foremost thought leader in this area. Dr. Chuck Coker, who has 30+ years working with these concepts and tools. WOW! Chuck knows his stuff and has a real passion for this work. I am so blessed to call him a friend! He is opening doors of insight and wisdom for me that is going to transform people's lives.

90%+ Predictability Factor

In a recent video with Chuck and Michael Mueller (who helped develop the Habit Story assessment), Chuck mentioned that there is a 90%+ predictability factor when using Habit Story. That immediately got my attention! An assessment that has a 90% or better rate of predicting success. Think of the way that changes the landscape when it comes to making decisions about people, even yourself. Hiring, promoting, team building, leadership, retention, and engagement can all be enhanced when you have this kind of insight.

Have you ever observed someone who appears to have everything they need to succeed but then falls short of expectations? We all have. Now we have a way to predict what that person will be able to do in a specific role, and that predictability is very high. There is no other assessment that can offer this level of predictability and insight. This has become the foundational assessment in my work with individuals, teams, and organizations. Then I can add other assessments to compliment the Habit Story insights.

Take Aways

The challenges in our world today demand new tools and methods to meet these challenges. Habit Story has incorporated AI and predictive analytics, plus 30 years of expert knowledge and experience, to give us the insights we need. We can now approach people decisions (including decisions for ourselves) with consistent confidence.

Take a minute to think about counterproductive habits you see in yourself and in others. What would it be like to minimize those? What would you or others gain if they could change those into more practice of productive habits. Intriguing...right?!

************

For more, check out our other resources:

EQFIT® YouTube Channel

EQFIT® Blog

EQFIT® Podcast

 Copyright © 2023 EQFIT® - Author: Steven Goodner. All rights reserved. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected].