Just Keep Swimming

I remember reading a study many years ago that I thought was absolutely ridiculous.

The authors of the research wanted to answer the question, “What makes the people who quit smoking, successful at quitting smoking?”

Their answer? The more times a person quit, the more likely they were to be successful at quitting.

I remember laughing out loud at the time, thinking, “What a complete waste of money to uncover this obvious, common sense conclusion.”

Now, after years of being in the business of helping people change their habits, I realize what an important message that piece of research really contained.

Change is hard. And breaking habits? That’s even harder. Even with the strongest resolve to stop eating sugar, for example, life happens. A special birthday party where someone brings your favorite cake, and all your great effort and resolve go out the door.

After these things happen, patients often return to clinic and say, “I just can’t do it. I can’t give it up. Life always happens and I fall off the wagon.”

The answer, according to the evidence? Just try again and keep trying and trying and trying because eventually…it will stick.

As Dory, from Finding Nemo says, “Just keep swimming.”