H<\/span>ere\u2019s my quest of over three decades: How can humans change our behaviors to lead lives brimming with fulfillment and health?<\/p>\n My research has landed on a critical insight: The conventional approach of setting rigid \u201cSMART\u201d goals and relentless tracking most often sets people up for failure. How we\u2019ve been approaching behavior change dramatically lowers our odds of success \u2013 and dampens our spirits.<\/p>\n \u201cPerformance mindset\u201d may not be a familiar term, but you see it in action every day. It includes all things win-or-lose: every calorie tracker, steps counter, comparison, competition, and goal-based system currently used for behavior change. You focus on achieving highly specific outcomes (SMART goals mean specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound).<\/p>\n The problem is that your unconscious brain perceives any deviation from a 100% perfect prediction as a failure. As a result, performance mindsets trigger an area of the brain called the habenula, which serves as a failure detector. When the habenula activates, it controls your motivation and comes to a screeching halt.<\/p>\n I\u2019m going to explain a new approach called iteration, which allows you to enter a failure-free zone of unstoppable motivation and success.<\/p>\n The best part is that you already possess the innate power for transformation. You just need to understand how your brain works.<\/p>\n Your brain has a powerful conductor of behavior known as the habenula. This tiny but mighty region acts as a failure detector, shutting down our motivation circuits when we perceive failure, effectively halting our progress in its tracks.<\/p>\n The habenula is not a bad actor. Its original purpose was to protect us from engaging in risky behaviors. However, an accidentally activated habenula can become a barrier to forming the positive habits crucial for meaningful change.<\/p>\n The solution? Shift away from the rigid performance mindset and embrace an iterative approach emphasizing progress and adaptation. My findings are clear: Making tweaks and thoughtful adjustments is key to long-term habit formation and realizing our goals.<\/p>\n Based on my research on thousands of people\u2019s long-term behavior change, I coined this approach as the Iterative Mindset Method™. It is the most effective way to sidestep the habenula\u2019s trap, allowing for continuous growth without the loss of motivation and the depression, anxiety, etc., that ensues.<\/p>\n Life, like evolution, thrives on iteration. We inject creativity into our routines by continuously tweaking our environment, tools, and social networks\u2014a sure way to avoid stagnation. In an iterative mindset, every attempt becomes a valuable experiment to learn what works, not a binary outcome of success or failure. This keeps motivation alive. We understand that every step, regardless of its immediate outcome, contributes to our growth and progress.<\/p>\n The iterative process aligns with our deep-seated drive towards purpose, setting the stage for a journey of lifelong, lasting transformation. As we learn from each experience, we grow in wisdom and maintain our results.<\/p>\n In my clinical experience and executive healthcare roles, I\u2019ve witnessed the transformative power of the iterative approach. Individuals who once felt trapped in cycles of weight loss and regain find liberation, not by fixating on the scale but by finding sustainable habits that nurture their healthier relationship with food and movement. As people embrace iteration and become fail-safe, they overcome addictions, revitalize relationships, and foster fulfilling work environments.<\/p>\n Neuroscience backs this up. Science has established that forming new habits can rewire our brains over time. But the brain needs enough time and repetitions to build a new habit into a permanent way of life. This means that keeping going is all that matters. True change is certainly a winding path, and iteration is the fuel that keeps us going, saving us from being stuck \u2013 to achieving whatever we want.<\/p>\n Each of us holds the potential for lasting, positive change. The secret lies in engaging with our brain’s hidden powers, understanding our habenula, and adopting an iterative mindset to get better results. By being open to tweaking our methods, we can bypass old (performance mindset) patterns and unlock new growth.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve done much of my research and selected behavior change projects specifically aimed at serving those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged, which is also a part of my family background.<\/p>\n The behavioral change findings, using an iterative mindset as a protective factor that I first found in those with the greatest obstacles, give hope to people of all backgrounds that iteration, rather than performing, is a safe, effective way to permanently change our lives. My team developed the Fresh Tri app for this very purpose: To help people just like me and you iterate our way to lasting behavior change.<\/p>\n So, let me ask: How can you iterate on your behavior change efforts to avoid your habenula, keep going, and achieve the change you want?<\/p>\n Iteration is a dynamic process of learning, adapting, and evolving. It\u2019s about embracing each attempt as an opportunity for growth, regardless of the outcome. This approach fosters resilience, creativity, and a deep-seated sense of progress that fuels our journey toward lasting change.<\/p>\n The transformation journey is within reach for each of us. By embracing an iterative mindset, we can navigate the ups and downs of change with grace and resilience, turning our aspirations into realities. The power to change your life is in your hands. Now that you know about your brain, you can be unstoppable.<\/p>\n Strategies for understanding and overcoming failure perceptions <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14977,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[186,187],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spring-summe-2024","category-spring-summer-2024-features"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14925"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14925\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15255,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14925\/revisions\/15255"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/healthyaging.net\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Brain\u2019s Motivation Control: Introducing the Habenula<\/h3>\n
Reframe Success<\/h3>\n
Find Unstoppable Momentum<\/h3>\n
Unlock Your Inner Power<\/h3>\n
Toward Lasting Change<\/h3>\n
Kyra Bobinet<\/a> , MD-MPH, founder and CEO of Fresh Tri, is a physician, public health leader, and behavior change designer focusing on tranquility, transformation, and healing to build optimal health and fulfilling, meaningful lives. She is the author of Unstoppable Brain: The New Neuroscience That Frees Us From Failure, Eases Our Stress, and Creates Lasting Change.<\/em><\/a> She earned her medical degree from UCSF School of Medicine and received her Master\u2019s of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"