Kickstart Your Year: Build better habits - Make it Obvious

In this episode of Car Ride Conversations for Sports Families, host Valerie Alston discusses the importance of habit formation over motivation for achieving long-term goals. She dives into the science of habit formation and shares practical tips on building effective habits for athletes and their families. Valerie highlights the significance of making good habits obvious and bad habits invisible. She provides actionable strategies, inspired by James Clear's 'Atomic Habits,' for creating an environment conducive to achieving goals. Valerie also prompts listeners to engage in meaningful family conversations about identifying and implementing new habits. Join the conversation for insights on building mental toughness, resilience, and confidence while fostering stronger family relationships. Don't forget to share this episode and subscribe to Valerie's newsletter for more tips.

00:00 Introduction to Motivation and Habits

00:52 Welcome to Car Ride Conversations

01:26 Kicking Off January with Better Habits

03:19 Understanding Habit Formation

06:13 The Habit Loop Explained

09:11 Making Good Habits Obvious

10:56 Eliminating Bad Habits

12:17 Aligning Habits with Identity

14:11 Practical Tips for Building Habits

16:15 Family Discussion Questions

19:58 Conclusion and Next Steps

Atomic Habits link: https://amzn.to/49rZNP4

Discussion questions:

1. What’s one habit you do automatically without thinking?
2. What’s a good habit we could make more obvious this week?
3. What’s one distraction we could make less visible?
4. Where could we place reminders to help you succeed?

Thanks for joining me on Confident, Calm, and Clutch Car Ride Conversations! If you found this episode helpful, please subscribe to the podcast so you never miss a moment. Share it with other parents or coaches who could use a little extra inspiration on the go.

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For more specific tips on building mental toughness, buy my book Confident, Calm and Clutch: How to build confidence and mental toughness for young athletes using sports psychology

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Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email me: valerie.alston@valstoncoaching.com

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