The Power of Community in Behaviour Change

In the book Atomic Habits, James Clear discusses our desire to fit in with those around us. He describes humans desire to belong to a tribe as essential to survival. Being cast out of a tribe or becoming separated from them, was a sure-fire way die early. ⁣ ⁣ The earliest habits in our life are dictated by those around us. Growing up in a family that values health and fitness, will likely result in your being physically fit also. Consciously or unconsciously, the closer we are to the people around us, the more we tend to act like them.⁣ ⁣ One study that followed 12,000 people for 32 years and found “a person’s chances of becoming obese increased by 57% if he or she had a friend who became obese.”⁣ ⁣ You can choose to spend time around those with habits that you admire and you’ll likely achieve the similar things. But the opposite is also true – if you’re a smoker and spend majority of your time around other smokers, quitting is going to be that much harder!⁣ ⁣ Here’s a passage from the chapter;⁣“One of the most effective things you can do to build better habits is to join a culture where your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour. New habits seem achievable when you see others doing them every day. If you are surrounded by fit people, you’re more likely to consider working out to be a common habit. If you’re surrounded by jazz lovers, you’re more likely to believe it’s reasonable to play jazz every day. Your culture sets your expectation for what is ‘normal.’ Surround yourself with people who have the habits you want to have yourself. You’ll rise together.”⁣

So, what should you do from here?⁣ ⁣ 1. Join a culture where your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour⁣ ⁣ 2. Join a culture where you already have something in common with the group⁣ ⁣ So if you want to lift heavy, increase your work capacity, and improve your performance (for sport or life in general), all while having a laugh then maybe our gyms for you 🤷‍♂️⁣ ⁣ “Nothing sustains motivation better than belonging to a tribe… it’s friendship and community that embed a new identity and help behaviours last over the long run.” – James Clear. #one22


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