How to Make Long-term Behaviour Change Stick

On this episode

No matter how much we know it’ll make our lives better, pretty much all of us struggle to make important changes in our lives. We can get stuck in patterns that feel comforting but aren’t serving us well. And when life gets busy or overwhelming, we fall back into old habits, and the short-term pressures seem to shout louder than our long-term goals.

The key to lasting change is connecting with what we truly want – our heart’s desire – and linking that to what motivates us. By making small, realistic shifts, we can create new patterns that stick. It’s about responding thoughtfully instead of reacting automatically.

The next time you’re faced with a decision, pause and ask yourself what you really want in the long term. Start with small, achievable changes and allow for lapses along the way. Celebrate the wins, no matter how small, and focus on the feelings of success and progress. It’s also helpful to use reminders, set clear boundaries, and practice saying no with compassion when something doesn’t align with your priorities.

Unhelpful habits keep us stuck in cycles that drain us, leaving us overwhelmed, burnt out, and disconnected from what really matters. The goals we care about will keep slipping further out of reach.

But by giving ourselves a moment to think about how our decision aligns with what we want most, we can break old patterns and take a step towards meaningful change.