From Intention to Action: How to Cultivate Habits that Last

As the year draws to a close, it’s natural to become reflective. We begin to think about what we’ve done, what we haven’t done, what we said we’d do and what we’d like to do differently next year. 

Amidst this season of endings and beginnings, habits come to the forefront of our thoughts. The shorter winter days and festive frenzy can make it harder to maintain the routines we’ve been trying to stick to. At the same time, we may find ourselves dreaming up new habits for the year.

It may look as though everyone else but you is able to stick to their intentions, but the truth is, creating habits - and keeping them - is hard for all of us. Many of us feel that sense of renewed energy when January rolls around, only to lose momentum a few weeks later. So, why is it so hard to make them stick and why do we often revert to the familiar?

One answer lies both in the ancient pathways of our brains and in the psychology of reward. Our brains are wired to seek out reward and avoid discomfort. Dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for motivation and reward, plays a powerful role. Thousands of years ago, this system drove our ancestors to seek food, water, shelter, and connection. Back then, reward was linked to survival. Today, that same system is at work but often leads us towards quick wins and fast fixes. And here’s the thing - building habits that last takes time. 

This is why choosing a new habit - the untrodden path - can feel so challenging. The brain wants to stick to what it knows.

The Well-Trodden Path vs the Untrodden One

Picture yourself walking through an ancient woodland, where you arrive at a fork in your path. A well-trodden path stretches before you; sun-dappled, familiar, inviting, effortless. This is your old habit. One you’ve walked so many times it feels like second nature. Beside it lies an untrodden path, tangled with branches, shaded by trees, scattered with leaves. It’s harder to choose this way. You’ll need to clear the obstacles, take steps you’ve never taken before, and persist. Yet, beyond this challenge lies a reward: a new habit, rooted in the positive benefits it can bring. 

Imagine now that you make the brave choice to take the untrodden path. And with each passing day as you continue to walk, it gets a little easier. The branches fall away, your footsteps create a clear trail and before long, this unfamiliar route becomes your chosen way. Eventually, you’ll be so used to taking this path, you won’t even need to think about putting one step in front of the other - it will become habit.

So how do we carve out new paths, ones that bring long-term reward over short-term gratification? How do we stick with habits when life gets in the way? Read on for five steps to guide you on the journey.

1. Know Your Why

Every habit begins with a reason. Beneath the surface of your goal - whether it’s to move your body, learn to meal-prep, drink more water, or take five quiet minutes each morning - lies something deeper. A desire to feel something - perhaps to feel more confident, calmer or more connected to your loved ones.  When your motivation comes from a place of self-love, a desire to feel better or to care for yourself, we create a powerful and deep foundation to build your habits on. 

When our motivation fades, it might be because your ‘why’ is too surface-level. Start with a question; Why is this important to me? When you can connect to the deeper purpose behind your habit, it’s easier to anchor you when the initial excitement of walking the untrodden path becomes harder and motivates you to keep moving forward. 

2. Meet Your Future Self

The habits you form, the choices you make, and the words you speak about yourself shape your internal identity, influencing how you see yourself and how you show up in the world. Do you see yourself as someone who makes healthy choices? Do you see yourself as an active person or a person who is present with the people they communicate with? Psychologist Dr. Julie Smith speaks to the power of identity when it comes to habits: Who do you want to be? It’s not just about doing something; it’s about becoming someone. 

So, if you discover that the identity you currently create is someone who says “I’m not very disciplined” or “I’m just lazy,” try to reframe this. Take a moment to visualise your future self. What would they say? Start to believe the words future-you utters, “I am someone who prioritises my health.” or  “I am someone who moves my body every day, even when it’s just a walk.”

This shift quite remarkably rewires the pathways in your brain. When you align your actions with the person you are becoming, habits stick because they feel like you.

3. The Little Things Count

Some new habits do require big changes. Making certain choices about how you eat or committing to regular workouts does require effort. But one of the biggest misconceptions about habits is that you have to tackle this transformation all at once, perfectly and dramatically. For example, we take on a 30-day clean eating challenge believing it to be more effective than simply trying to improve our breakfast choices.  In fact, James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, reminds us that habits thrive on simplicity. If a new habit feels overwhelming - like a ban on all sugar for a month, hitting an exercise class everyday or meditating for 20 minutes each morning and night - lower the barrier and pace yourself.

Start small. Consistency matters more than intensity. A personal trainer would rather see you show up at the gym once a week for seven weeks than going hard every day for just one week before giving up entirely. After all, you wouldn’t brush your teeth for 12 hours straight and then neglect them for the rest of the year.

A 5-minute stretch. A glass of water before your morning coffee. A moment to pause before you open your laptop. These seemingly insignificant moments build momentum over time.

For those meatier health goals, break them down into smaller steps. Ask yourself, how can I make this habit easier? Can you commit to 2 exercise classes a week and snippets of daily movement? If planning a full week of meals feels like too much, can you prep just one to make tomorrow morning easier?

4. The Power of Ritual

A habit becomes something more profound when you bring intention to it. Ritual transforms the mundane into the sacred. It’s about slowing down, noticing the details, and bringing presence to your actions.

When you prepare your morning collagen coffee or matcha, make it a moment of quiet grounding rather than a rushed necessity. When you roll out your yoga mat, take a breath and notice your body before you move. These rituals tether you to the present, adding depth and meaning to your habits.

Ritual also brings reward. Not the quick hit of dopamine we’re so used to, but a deeper, longer-lasting sense of care. The reward is in fact the experience itself, the feeling of showing up for yourself.

5. Get Compassionately Curious

Change rarely happens in a straight line. We all fall off the path sometimes. Life is messy - you skip a workout, scroll on your phone for a little too long, forget your evening wind-down. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Instead of berating yourself, get curious. Ask: Why did this happen?

Did you choose to doom scroll over your usual morning meditation because you felt tired and overwhelmed? Did you miss your morning workout because you simply needed rest? 

Perhaps it’s not about tackling the habit but addressing the stress and exhaustion driving it. Compassion allows us to reset without shame and return to the path with greater understanding and care. Instead of seeing this as failure, change your expectations. A habit is a path, a long winding journey -  not a test of willpower or perfection. 

And here’s the beauty of creating long-lasting habits: if you leave the path for a while, the progress isn’t undone. You may have to sweep aside a few leaves when you return, but the way is still there, waiting.

Habits are not about perfection or quick fixes. They’re not about the latest health trend or what's going viral on social media. What they are about is choosing to show up for yourself, again and again, with intention, imperfection, compassion, and care. Each small step strengthens the path, and over time, the untrodden way becomes your way. 

The first step is often the hardest. All you need to do is begin.

5 Books to Inspire Habit-Building

1. Atomic Habits by James Clear – A clear, practical guide to creating small habits that lead to big change.

2. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before? by Dr. Julie Smith – An insightful exploration of the psychology of habits and emotional wellbeing.

3. The Source by Dr Tara Swart – A powerful read combining neuroscience and psychology to help you rewire your brain and, align your actions with your goals 

4. Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg – A kind, non-judgemental approach to building habits through small, manageable steps.

5. Wintering by Katherine May – A poetic reflection on rest, renewal, and finding rituals to support ourselves through challenging times.