Like Sardines?

Apparently, they’re the latest, greatest thing since sliced bread.

(BTW, sliced bread: not so good for you anymore.)

Go to Youtube and search “Sardine Diet”.

I don’t question that sardines are good for you. They are. What I question is how a single thing that is good for you turns into the only thing you need for good health.

The Power of Fads

In the Fitness Industry, fads come and go frequently, particularly fads in equipment, supplements, self-help books and diets.

It’s the American Way to make money marketing some new snake oil that fixes all that ails you.

So what about Habit Behavior Modification? A Fad?

Do a Google Search on “Top Books on Habits”.

There are a lot. Sure looks like a fad.

Habit Behavior Modification – Not a Fad

A fad is an intense, short-lived enthusiasm or fashion, often followed by a large group, that becomes popular rapidly and disappears quickly.

Habit Behavior Modification self-help books have been around a while. Steven Covey’s best-selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People was originally released in 1989.

So what’s driving the more recent interest in Habit Behavior Modification?

There have been many studies in the last 25 years regarding the power of behavioral change through habit modification. How to Form Good Habits? A Longitudinal Field Study on the Role of Self-Control in Habit Formation is a solid summary of some of the latest data.

But it goes further back than that:

Benjamin Franklin’s 13 Virtues

Benjamin Franklin was freaky about forming good habits and ditching bad ones. Here are some more of his quotes:

“It is easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.”

“Who is strong? He that can conquer his bad habits.”

“Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones.”

Franklin focused his behavior modification around 13 Virtues:

Franklin even had his own Habit Tracker:

Takeaways?

• Behavior modification through changing habits has been around since the dawn of the United States.
• It’s popular with many because it works.
• It won’t be popular for some because it does not offer a quick fix. Instead, it offers a permanent one.

Ron