Your Tendencies Impact Your Habits

Harness YOUR POWER and create New, Healthy HABITS in 2023 by learning about the 4 Tendencies!

As we make our way into 2023, Whether you are a “New Year’s resolution person” or not, the beginning of a fresh year often has most of us at least contemplating what we would like to do differently or work on over the course of the next 12 months. 

Unfortunately, many people set goals from a result-oriented place rather than a process-oriented one.  If you have a timely, measurable goal, in order to be most successful let’s get specific with the HOW!  We need to break this goal down into daily, actionable steps that will lead us to our ultimate goal.  Here is where knowing your tendency can come in handy.

What are the Four Tendencies

Dan Harris hosts a podcast Ten Percent Happier.  In episode 99, Dan chats with New York Times best seller Gretchen Rubin on her Four Tendency Framework and how learning where you fall can propel you forward much more efficiently into creating new habits that STICK!  

The Upholder

First, we have The Upholder, who is equally motivated by both inner and outer expectations.  The dedicated, self-motivated rule follower.  This is your friend who decides to train for a marathon and give up alcohol, all while completing their masters program, and DOES IT ALL.  This is the second smallest category, as you can imagine…must be nice….although these folks are often mired by rigidity and perfectionism.

The Questioner

Second, we have The Questioner, who NEEDS to know the “WHY” behind any expectations.  If you are a questioner, it’s especially important to know YOUR WHY, when setting goals.  If you are a coach of some kind, knowing your client is a questioner can help you really emphasize your reasoning for asking him or her to do a particular task, provide them with as MUCH information and facts as possible!

The Rebel

The third, smallest tendency is The Rebel.  As the name suggests, these folks resist ANY expectations!  Telling a Rebel what to do is going to backfire even if it’s something they actually do want to do.  It’s important for them to feel “free” to do things their way.  If this is you, or if you are a coach working with a Rebel, it’s most effective to appeal to their values and identity, and allow THEM to make the choices.

The Obliger

Our last tendency, and the largest, according to Gretchen is The Obliger. Obligers would much prefer to focus on meeting outer expectations than inner, self-imposed ones.  If I’m doing something FOR YOU and I don’t want to let you down, it’s easier for me to uphold my commitment, rather than just doing something for myself.  For us, having a coach or an accountability partner of some kind, helps keep us on track!  

How the Four Tendencies Impact The Way You Approach Your Goals

So, what do these four tendencies have to do with health and wellness? A lot, actually. 

When you’re striving to reach a specific goal, your primary tendency will greatly impact your motivations and the most ideal path (or in our case, program) to get you to your goal. 

If you’re an Obliger, Gretchen Ruben says in a FastCompany article “Obligers need outer accountability to meet inner expectations. They do well with deadlines and supervision.”

For our Questioners, you’re driven by knowing more about “why” and “how” when it comes to reaching your goals. As they say, knowledge is power.

Rebels are driven by individuality, so in many cases, if they feel like they are “required” to do something, they aren’t going to do it. They are primarily motivated by defying the odds and proving people wrong. 

Upholders tend to succeed in meeting their goals, primarily because they are good at accountability and structure - however “road blocks” or unexpected and uncontrollable changes can throw an upholder off their game because fluidity and flexibility do not come naturally to them. 

No Matter Your “Tendency” We Build Wellness Programming Customized to You

Regardless of where you fall into each of these categories, and obviously there will be overlap, we encourage you to take this into consideration when setting new goals. 

Our assessment and coaching programs are entirely personalized to you, your goals, your lifestyle and the structures that work best for you. 

So whether you need structure and accountability, resources and research-based advice, or flexibility, we can build a program for you and we would LOVE to help support and encourage you on your journey at CORE57!  

Ready to get started? Contact us today to set up your assessment.