One way to quit smoking would be to reframe every {{c1::cue}} to begin doing it as an undesirable, unattractive, or even stupid thing to do.

Every behavior has a surface level {{c1::craving}} and a deeper underlying motive (Atomic Habits). For example, somewhere, deep down, you eat tacos because you have to eat to survive even if the specific craving is for a taco. Underlying motives: conserve energy, reduce uncertainty, connect and bond with others, achieve status, find food and water, find a mate, reproduce.

Cravings are specific manifestations of deeper underlying motives. The brain did not evolve to smoke cigarettes, check social media, or play video games. At a deeper level, you want to reduce some anxiety for example. Products that are habit forming tend to latch onto the underlying motives. Find love and reproduce might mean Tinder. Status and prestige could come from video games.

Habits are like modern day solutions to ancient problems. There are many different ways to address the same underlying motive. You could smoke a cigarette or go for a run to deal with anxiety.

Current habits are not necessarily the best solution to a problem. The brain continually notices cues and makes predictions about what to do next. See a cue, categorize it based on prior experience, and determine what to do. Life is predictive: you make your best guess at what to do based on historical information. Behavior is heavily dependent on the interpretations of the cues. The same cue can spark a good or bad habit. The prediction that comes before the habit is the cause.

Cravings are typically described as feelings that transform signals into things that prompt us to act: a gap between the current state and the desired state that provides a reason to act. What you really want is to feel different.

When emotion and feelings are impaired, we lose the ability to make decisions according to what neurologists have discovered. The specific cravings you feel and habits you perform are meant to address underlying motives. Habits are attractive when we associate them with positive feelings. It is emotion that allows you to mark things as good, bad, or neutral.

To make hard habits more attractive, learn to associate them with a positive experience. Replace "have to" with "get to" to see behaviors as opportunities instead of burdens. Both are true. You can find evidence for the mindset that you choose. Highlight the benefits of your habits to make them seem more attractive. Exercise could be viewed as a way to develop skills and build you up. "It's time to build endurance and get fast." "Living below my current means increases my future means." See distractions popping into your mind during meditation as chances to practice returning to your state of meditation. "I am excited and getting an adrenaline rush to help me concentrate" instead of "I am nervous."

Reframe the associations you have about bad habits. Reprogram your predictions. Highlight the benefits of avoiding bad habits.