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Breaking Bad Habits
Breaking Bad Habits
out with the old and in with the new
We all have bad habits. Some are so ingrained into us that it makes us who we are! Breaking bad habits is a commitment just like any other change in life! So how do can we do it?
“First we make our habits, then our habits make us.” Charles C. Noble
I’ve stated before, if we want to start a new goal – like a New Year’s Resolution, we need to stop something old! That’s one reason why many New Year’s Resolutions fail.
If you want to join a gym to lose weight, you also need to give up poor eating habits! If you want to have more money at the end of the month, you need to stop spending money!
Bad habits are hard to break. Good habits are hard to maintain. Its so easy to fall back into a bad habit, but its not so easy to jump back into a good one! Self improvement and motivation helps us get rid of the old as we set goals to create the good! Breaking bad habits should ‘not’ be the goal as it is always harder to stop something without replacing it with something new!
This is why smokers tend to eat gum instead of reaching for a cigarette!
Another reason why breaking bad habits is a tough thing to do is because we are having an internal battle with our willpower!
Warren Davies, in his blog, GenerallyThinking.com references an article in the Wall Street Journal that states, “88% of New Year’s Resolutions Fail” by Jonah Lehrer. The main point is that we overload our brains with all these resolutions it is hard to manage.
It makes no sense to, “Lose weight and quit smoking at the same time” Lehrer.
If our brain is overwhelmed with tasks and goals and we do not properly prepare to tackle them, we fall off track and we become overwhelmed. It is hard to maintain motivation if this happens!
Proper planning and goal setting principles suggest tackling one task at a time. You become more effective and efficient when you create a task list, like a daily task list, and you complete the most difficult task at hand before moving on to the next!
Breaking bad habits requires the same type of principle in this case. Having 10 New Year’s Resolutions, or even 2 bad habits to break at one time brings about brain fatigue, with a tired brain it is hard to resist what you want instead of doing something you really need!
This is why I suggest replacing a bad habit with a new one!
Instead of thinking about stopping the bad habit, think about replacing it with a new habit! When you reach the point of brain fatigue and you are finding it hard to resist doing something you shouldn’t do, jump into the positive habit that takes over your craving! This gives your brain a positive charge, and thorough this reward, you can build on the motivation! Next time it happens it will be easier to jump into the good again!
Thanks for reading!
Glenn & Orlando, the CreateYourMind Team
Other related articles:
“Developing Good Habits and Breaking Bad Habits”
“Good Habits – Think like a Winner and not like a Whiner”
“Good Habits – Deep Breathing and its Health Benefits”
Want the secret to improve your life? Rene Godefroy shows you how to kick excuses goodbye! Click Here! for more info!
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I try to teach my son – if you think you are going to lose – you probably are. He always gets negative before a game, probably to prepare himself for failure. Any advice on that?
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