Interview with Ashdin Doctor, author of Change Your Habits, Change Your Life: Your Guide to an Awesome Life

In order to change your life you need to be able to do something long-term, something for the rest of your life.

on Mar 13, 2023

Ashdin Doctor is a Mumbai-based popular habit coach who has been transforming the lives of many who feel stuck by creating habits that can be easily incorporated into daily life. He is the founder of Awesome 180, a habit coaching programme. He also hosts a popular podcast, The Habit Coach.

Frontlist: What inspired you to write this book? Please share your experience while drafting it.

Ashdin: The book was inspired by a podcast I recorded titled “self-help books don’t work”. I have so many friends and clients who have shared this exact sentiment with me. However, I love self-help books because I have learnt how to put the learnings into action. I realised that I had to somehow restructure my coaching practices into a book. That was a practical guide to habit change. Hence, it is written without jargon and is full of exercises that you can do to push you in the direction of your Awesome Life.

Frontlist: In your opinion, why do so many people struggle to make lasting changes in their habits?

Ashdin: This is because most people are taught that they need to be motivated to make a change. However, motivation is very short and fleeting. It does not last! In order to change your life you need to be able to do something long-term, something for the rest of your life. For that, you need to learn how to turn your goals into daily habits!

Frontlist: Your book covers various topics, from mindfulness to exercise to nutrition. How did you decide which habits to focus on, and how do these habits work together to improve overall well-being?

Ashdin: I believe that the foundation of an Awesome life starts with 6 pillars, Movement (not exercise), Nutrition (not a diet), De-stressing (not stress management), Sleep Quality (not quantity), Hydration and breathing. These were the 6 pillars that I focused on with my personal coaching clients and hence wanted to share parts of them with the reader.

Frontlist: Everyone believes one must leave their comfort zone for a better life. What are your thoughts in this context?

Ashdin: The comfort zone is great. However, you need to learn to expand it. I am not a fan of telling people to break their comfort zone as it takes too much energy and courage. Also, you can’t break your comfort zone every single day. However, you can do things that stretch your comfort zone every single day. Things that are just on the borderline of being hard, but within your competence. Hence, even in the book, there is a whole chapter dedicated to stretching the comfort zone without breaking it.

Frontlist: Many people struggle to maintain motivation and consistency regarding habit change. How can readers stay motivated and accountable throughout the process?

Ashdin: Motivation is the root cause of failing to make a change. Instead of using motivation, I talk about creating the right intention and then forming the right habits to make sure you can achieve the change you want. Throughout the book, I have given the reader exercises to help with creating the right intention. An intention so powerful and personal that they will just need to remember it when they don’t feel like doing the habit.

Frontlist: Your book offers a comprehensive roadmap for habit change. What do you hope readers will take away from the book, and how do you envision it impacting their lives?

Ashdin: Firstly, I have written this book so that first-time readers are also able to finish and enjoy the book. Secondly, I want the reader to realise that their dream life, their awesome life is possible. All they have to do is consciously create the right habits that will help them achieve their dream life. Lastly, I want readers to understand that change is not something that is hard and needs to be feared. Instead, it can be done easily and consistently using the 3 golden rules of habit change!

Frontlist: How many people have changed their lives thus far with your habit formation techniques?

Ashdin: Apart from the one on one coaching I used to do earlier. I have conducted workshops for companies like Google, Herbalife, Bank of America, Bank of India, and many others. Each with over 150 to 400 participants. More importantly, The Habit Coach Podcast has over 500,000 listens a month. So all of this together, I think quite a few people would have benefited from the Habit-forming techniques. My goal is to sell over a million copies of this book, so that I know for sure a million lives have been impacted :)