Wanting and liking are the the drivers of our behaviors. Without desire and interest, there is no reason to take action. However, there must be a degree of enjoyment in order to continue taking action. Put another way: Feeling motivated gets you to act. Feeling successful gets you to repeat.

Desire Initiates. Pleasure Sutains.

The gap between craving and reward determines how satisfied we feel after taking action. The outcome of an action determines our likelihood to repeat a behavior in the future. Outcomes that meet our expectation will increase the likelihood of repeated behavior and those that don't meet our expectation will decrease the likelihood.

Our Expectations Determine Our Satisfaction.

A craving is created when meaning is assigned to a cue. Being aware of cues that trigger cravings can be beneficial for both creating and breaking habits. Optimize your environment by including things that prompt you to complete a desired behavior and removing things that cause you to do undesired behaviors.

Awareness Comes Before Desire.

The Four Laws are based on a four-step pattern that is the backbone of every habit. These patterns are outcome-dependent feedback loops for reinforcing behaviors.<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Cue: A piece of information or stimulus in the environment that signals the brain to initiate a behavior.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Craving: The underlying motivation behind every behavior triggered by a cue.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Response: The physical reaction to the cue and craving.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Reward: The goal for completion of a behavior, satisfying the craving.</li></ol>Without the first three, no behavior occurs. Without the last, behaviors will not be repeated.

The Four Laws: Where do they come from?

The Four Laws are a simple set of rules for creating habits. They provide a practical framework designed around the four step-loop presented earlier. The inversion of the Four laws are used to break habits. Following these simple frameworks allows us to manage our habits and reveals some insight on human behavior. Four Laws to Form Good Habits:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it obvious (Cue)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it attractive (Craving)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it easy (Response)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it satisfying (Reward)</li></ol> Inversion of the Four Laws to Break Bad Habits:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it invisible (Cue)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it unattractive (Craving)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it hard (Response)</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Make it unsatisfying (Reward)</li></ol>

The Four Laws: What are they?

The source of all suffering is the desire for a change in state. This desire for a change in state is what powers someone to take action. This desire for change can be seen as a craving, with it we are dissatisfied but driven, without it we are satisfied but lack ambition.

Suffering Drives Progress

Happiness is the state you enter when you no longer want to change your state. It is the space between the fulfillment of a desire and the formation of a new desire. Alternatively, suffering is the space between craving a change in state and getting it.

Happiness is the Absence of Desire.

If your motivation and desire to complete a behavior are large enough, action will ensue regardless of difficulty.

With a big enough WHY, you can overcome any HOW.

Behavior is completed through action. Being smart has its advantages, but does not provide motivation that leads to action. Having a healthy degree of curiosity and a hunger for seeking new information will create a mindset with a higher probability for action.

Being Curious is Better than Being Smart.

A response is triggered by cravings and cues, inducing feelings of desire to complete actions. At some level, every decision is driven by emotion, and only once this is understood can we begin to think rationally or logically. Clear claims the primary mode of the brain is to feel with the secondary mode being to think. Each of these modes has their respective responses. The feeling mode is associated with quick and nonconscious responses. Oppositely, the thinking mode is associated with slow and conscious responses.

Emotions Drive Behavior.

Little Lessons from the Four Laws

Atomic Habits provides clear and concise instructions on how to improve in any desirable aspect of life. The major theme Clear presents in this book is how little changes can create remarkable results. Clear's provides a simple yet thorough process called the "Four Laws of Behavior Change." This life changing material is tied together through examples of principles and a structured process for creating desired habits while eliminating undesired habits. The following is a brief overview from a section in the book titled "Little Lessons from the Four Laws."

The #1 New York Times bestseller. Over 10 million copies sold! Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results. If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights. Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, readers will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field. Learn how to: <ul><li>make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy);</li></ul><ul><li>overcome a lack of motivation and willpower;</li></ul><ul><li>design your environment to make success easier;</li></ul><ul><li>get back on track when you fall off course;</li></ul>...and much more. Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship, an organization hoping to redefine an industry, or simply an individual who wishes to quit smoking, lose weight, reduce stress, or achieve any other goal.

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James Clear is the author of "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones" He writes about habits, decision-making, and continuous improvement at jamesclear.com. His website receives millions of visitors each month and hundreds of thousands subscribe to his popular email newsletter.His work has appeared in the New York Times, Entrepreneur, Time, and on CBS This Morning. He is a regular speaker at Fortune 500 companies and his work is used by teams in the NFL, NBA, and MLB. Learn more at jamesclear.com

Little Lessons from the Four Laws

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