HOW TO BREAK ANY CYCLE

Author

Jack Salmon
April 13, 2026

Welcome to this weeks newsletter - HOW TO BREAK ANY CYCLE

HOW TO BREAK ANY CYCLE

In the past, I've been stuck in my fair share of cycles.

Drink and drugs. Binge eating. Training routines. Earning good money, only to earn less and end up back in debt. And burning myself out.

When you're going through these cycles it can be the most frustrating and self-defeating thing ever because it takes away all your consistency, your momentum and your self-belief.

It's like deep down you know what you want to be doing, but for some reason you make a small amount of progress and always end up back in the same position.

If this resonates with you, don't worry, I've got you covered.

With each cycle I've been through and broken free from, I've come to understand exactly why I put myself there and what was needed to make sure it never happened again.

If you want to break free from the cycle you're in right now, apply what's below.


Become Conscious 

The first step to breaking any cycle is becoming consciously aware of what is actually happening.

95% of your thoughts, feelings and behaviours each day are subconscious, automatic.

This means the majority of people are spending each day doing the same things but expecting a different result, and they can't figure out why they keep ending up back where they started. They try, fail, and repeat the same cycle over and over again.

To break away from this, you have to start building a new programme in the subconscious, automatic mind by consciously deciding what you want to think, feel and do.

Only 5% of your day-to-day thoughts and actions come from this conscious place. Everything else is habitual.

Here's an example. You consciously decide you'll stay in this weekend and not drink. But then Friday comes around and you have all these intense thoughts and feelings — "Go on." "You're missing out." "Have fun." "You deserve it." and before you know it, you're heading out. That's the subconscious mind overriding the conscious one.

So how do you overcome it?

Step one is easy - you consciously decide to stay in.

Step two is hard - whenever those intense thoughts and feelings arise from the subconscious, you have to keep your word and stick to what you said you were going to do. You cannot negotiate.

Yes, it will be hard. Yes, there will be massive resistance. But the more you keep your word, the more you start to programme your subconscious mind to work for you rather than against you.

You are literally rewiring the neurons in your brain through a process called neuroplasticity.

And when you repeatedly and consciously decide something and keep your word whether that's staying in at the weekend, getting out of bed on time, or sticking to a nutrition programme, it becomes part of who you are. What once required a conscious decision becomes automatic.

You keep your word without even thinking about it.

Have A Strong Why

Regardless of what cycle you're trying to break, it usually means letting go of something.

And as human beings, we don't like letting go, whether those things are harmful to us or not. It's more comfortable to keep doing the same thing than it is to change.

But one thing that has held me accountable for every change in my life has been having a strong why.

When you have a why that genuinely resonates with you. one that is meaningful and that you're emotionally connected to, it gives you a real reason to sacrifice, let go, push harder and do everything you can to step into the best version of yourself.

I think this is where a lot of people fall short.

I can guarantee that if I said to anyone reading this, stop doing whatever is holding you back, for 90 days, and I'll give you £100,000, you'd do it. I know I would.

Or if something bad was going to happen to your family unless you made that change in 90 days, you'd do that too. Because the consequence is too high not to.

Why? Because when the reward is greater than the risk, and the stakes are personal enough, you show up differently. When the why is strong enough, the how takes care of itself.

This proves that if your why is powerful enough, you will break through whatever cycle you're facing right now.

So don't rush this.

Sit with the question. Think about why you must break this cycle and think about how you will remind yourself of that reason every single day.

Something that helps me is reading my why out loud every morning and every night. It keeps me deeply connected to it and that connection is what keeps me moving forward.

Self-Image

You can't outrun your self-image.

Your self-image is part of your identity, it's the mental picture you hold of yourself. Not how you look on the outside, but how you see yourself on the inside.

This self-image sits in your subconscious, automatic mind and controls how you think, how you feel, what you say and how you behave in life.

If your self-image doesn't reflect who you want to be, it doesn't matter what you do, you will always self-sabotage and pull yourself back to what you believe you're worth.

Here's an example. If you see yourself as someone who is overweight, even if you lose all the weight, you will subconsciously self-sabotage and put it back on — just to bring yourself back in line with who you believe you are deep down.

Frustrating, right?

It shows that you can put in all the external work, but if you don't change how you see yourself on the inside, that work will eventually be undone. And this isn't just about weight — it applies to money, health, relationships, success and every other area of your life.

So how do you change it?

  1. Get a clear mental picture of who you want to be

  2. Visualise yourself as that person every single day

  3. Believe you are that person

  4. Think, feel and talk like that person

  5. Act like that person — and when you do, praise and recognise yourself for it

If you want to see lasting change, changing your self-image is the key.

Building Bullet Proof Habits

Once you're conscious, you can not only influence your self-image by seeing yourself as who you want to be, you can also decide what habits to focus on and stay consistent with.

The key to consistency, and to shifting your identity, is your habits.

The more you practise something, the quicker it becomes part of who you are — because it directly influences how you see yourself.

If you exercise every day, you start to see yourself as someone who looks after themselves. If you read every day, you see yourself as a reader. If you eat well every day, you see yourself as a healthy person.

This is exactly why habits are so powerful for breaking cycles because they don't just keep you consistent, they shift your identity and become part of who you are.

The most powerful force in the human personality is the need to stay consistent with how you define yourself.

So if you see yourself as a non-smoker, someone who doesn't drink, or a healthy person — you will naturally practise the habits of that person and cut out the ones that contradict who you want to become.

This was true for me. I wanted to be seen as a healthy, fit, disciplined individual who was in control of his life. And it was clear that drink and drugs weren't allowing me to be that person. So instead of saying "I just don't drink right now", I said "I am sober." That single shift pushed me to stay consistent with exactly who I said I wanted to be.

Seeing myself as that person through my self-image was key. But implementing the habits of that person built the evidence that I actually was him. And dropping the habits that didn't align became easier because of it.

Have a think about the habits that you need to stay consistent with that align with the person you want to be and the ones you need to let go off that doesn't.

Persistence

As I mentioned earlier, I've been stuck in more cycles than I can count  and I've failed multiple times trying to break free from them.

But the one thing I have never done is quit.

Every time I failed and got knocked down, I picked myself back up, understood why I failed and came back stronger, equipped with a new lesson.

If I failed again, I would try again. If I failed again, I would try again.

And eventually I would get to the place I always wanted to be.

This has happened with sobriety, binge eating, business failures and investments.

And the one thing I always remind myself of is this — "I will not lose if I don't quit."

Failure is feedback. Being a failure is when you throw in the towel and walk away.

If you want anything in life there will be setbacks, challenges and obstacles. But if you stay persistent and keep going, you will eventually get what you desire.

Is there anywhere in your life right now where you have quit, or where you're thinking about quitting?

If so, don't.

Keep going. Keep learning. Keep growing.

I promise you, you will get to where you want to go.

Time to Break the Cycle

I'm not sure what cycle you're in right now but if you've made it this far, you're probably in one.

Don't just let these words be wisdom. Turn them into action.

Address the cycle you're in right now by:

  1. Being conscious and keeping your word

  2. Crafting your self-image and knowing exactly who you want to be

  3. Starting to see yourself as that person and building the habits to support it

  4. Uncovering your why and reminding yourself of it every single day

  5. Never stopping until you break the cycle and become the person you know deep down you're capable of being

If at any point you struggle, or can't seem to break the cycle on your own — I'd love to help.

One you can watch the free masterclass & workbook I created to help you with the above 

Or I've helped hundreds of individuals break free and become their best self.

if that's you — book a call and find out how I can help you too.

Become The Best You.

Well done

Well done for showing up, reading this, and being ready to take action.

Most people say they want change — few actually do something about it.
You’re one of the few. 👏

I’d love to hear about your progress!
Reach out to me on and follow me on socials

If you need support, just message me.

Thanks,
Jack