Today, Jay invites us to rethink everything we’ve been taught about breaking bad habits. Instead of blaming willpower, discipline, or personality traits, he reframes habits as systems shaped by our triggers, emotions, and environments. He explains why most habits aren’t character flaws but subconscious coping strategies designed to provide comfort, escape, or relief. With this approach, we end up battling ourselves instead of breaking the loop that’s actually sustaining the habit. The real shift begins when we stop asking “What’s wrong with me?” and start asking “What is this habit doing for me?”
Jay then breaks down the four-part habit loop: trigger, emotion, behavior, and reward and shows how interrupting just one part can collapse the entire pattern. He explains that our environment matters more than motivation and if you want to change a habit, you have to change the cues that trigger it. Rather than quitting habits cold turkey, he encourages replacing the reward with a healthier form of relief, reminding us that the brain will always seek comfort. Through simple, practical examples, he shows how small interruptions, conscious pauses, and thoughtful substitutions can dismantle habits that once felt impossible to break.
In this episode, you'll learn:
How to Break Bad Habits Without Relying on Willpower
How to Identify the Hidden Triggers Fueling Your Habits
How to Interrupt the Habit Loop
How to Stop Fighting Habits and Start Understanding Them
How to Build an Identity That Makes Good Habits Stick
How to Use Small Replacements to Create Big Change
Every habit you want to change once served a purpose, now you get to decide what serves you going forward. When you become aware of your triggers, redesign your environment, and choose support over struggle, growth becomes lighter and more sustainable.
With Love and Gratitude,
Jay Shetty
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What We Discuss:
00:00 Intro
00:34 How Do You Actually Break a Bad Habit?
02:06 You Are Not Your Habits
05:04 The 4-Part Loop that Creates the Habit
07:11 Action #1: Redesign Your Triggers
08:44 Action #2: Replace the Reward not the Habit
11:33 Action #3: Interrupt the Loop In Real Time
12:48 Action #4: Build a New Identity Around Your Choices
15:00 The #1 Mistake in Breaking Habits
15:51 90-Day Habit Breakup Blueprint
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