Growing up, I played video games.

Growing up, I played video games.
Like most kids my age, I would shift the controller while I played.

For example, if we were playing Mario Kart... my hands would twist and turn with the controller, along with the driver on the screen.

I remember the moment I stopped.

While playing, a friend cocked his head at me and asked, "Does all that squirming help?"

Of course it didn't help.
But I wasn't even aware I was doing it.
I also wasn't aware that other kids weren't.

I didn't know, until I did.

So, confronted with new information and a dose of social pressure, I stopped moving the controller. Like a light switch being flipped, the change was near immediate.

Sometimes we don't need time to break or build habits...
we just need a strong enough stimulus.