Knowing the loop isn’t enough, because the loop is powered by craving. This chapter explains why new habits stick only when the reward becomes something the brain starts to want before it arrives.
The stories here show how marketers and performers build routines by attaching them to cues and by making rewards feel immediate. The habit doesn’t grow from discipline alone; it grows from anticipation.
The practical takeaway is sharper than “add a reward.” You have to identify what the brain is actually hungry for—comfort, stimulation, control, relief—and then design a routine that feeds that hunger without the old damage.
Change becomes realistic when you stop fighting desire and start redirecting it. The craving is the lever. Pull the lever carefully.