How to Master Behaviour Change
What behaviours would definitely improve your life?
If you are a regular reader, if you are my patient, or if you have done my Whole Body Detox program then you will already know that I’m a huge fan of the author Gretchen Rubin.
In my article Master Your Habits, Achieve Your Dreams I share my four favourite strategies from Better Than Before (an amazing book on how to change your habits to live a happier life). In that book she introduces her Four Tendencies framework and has since written another book entirely on that topic called (not surprisingly) The Four Tendencies.
This is the first in a series of articles all about the Four Tendencies and how to work WITH your tendency to accomplish habit change.
What are the Four Tendencies?
The Four Tendencies framework is a simple and elegant way to categorize how we respond to both internal and external expectations. Understanding ourselves in this way can help us develop the right approaches to accomplish our goals and STOP using strategies that are ineffective or counterproductive for us (but that may work for other people!).
It is NOT the same as “personality type”! People within the same tendency will still differ from each other on all kinds of other measures and behaviours. The Four Tendencies categorizes people with regards to how they respond to EXPECTATIONS, that’s it. A narrow aspect of our whole person, but very mighty because this influences how we accomplish our goals.
Check out Gretchen Rubin’s podcast episode all about the Four Tendencies.
The Four Tendencies Framework helps us:
1. Understand ourselves better
When we understand how we respond to both inner and outer expectations, we can set up our environment to work WITH our tendency so that we can meet these expectations more easily and with less stress.
We can also accept ourselves more readily and understand that what works for one person DOES NOT necessarily work for another. When we stop trying to be someone we are not, life is a lot more pleasant!
2. Understand others better
How much of your life do you spend frustrated with other people (spouse, children, family, friends, coworkers)? Much of our frustration with others stems from differences in how we respond to inner and outer expectations.
When we understand other people better, we become more tolerant and accept that there is rarely a “right” or “wrong way to do things. And then it becomes so much easier to work together. Or, to get others to do what you want them to do, which is also very satisfying…
What is your tendency?
Your next step is to take the quiz here to learn your tendency.
And, if you’re a patient of mine, email me your tendency! I actually keep note of this in your chart because it can help me understand how to help you improve your health.
What’s next?
Stay tuned for articles all about each tendency, starting with Obliger.
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