Change Anything: Escape the Willpower Trap

Why don't diets work?  Why is it so hard to stop eating junk food, get in shape, or stop an expensive venti mocha habit?

Maybe because most of us fall into the "willpower trap," going it alone with nothing but our sworn resolution:  I will lose 20 pounds!  I will get in shape for spring break so I can wear a bikini on the beach! 

We start out on day one with impressive focus, energy, and enthusiasm, but before long, we slip, slide, or "forget" our way back to old habits.  Why?

Enter Al Switzler, a behavior change expert with 25 years of experience and the co-author of four NYT best-sellers: Change Anything, Crucial Conversations, Crucial Confrontations, and Influencer.  Al and the Change Anything Labs studied five decades of social science research and 5,000 people working to change their behavior.  What they found was that people fail to keep their resolutions because they incorrectly believe their ability to change is dependent on their willpower.  The authors' research, published in Change Anything and MIT Sloan Management Review, shows our behavior is governed by more than willpower. Specifically, there are six sources of influence that shape our choices and habits. Those who use all six sources of influence as part of a change plan are 10 times more likely to succeed at changing their behavior.

Meet Al Switzler and discover what the six sources of influence are and how to apply them to your own life (or your overweight child's) on the next fitsmi Radio Show!