"A bad habit never disappears miraculously,
it's a undo-it-yourself project."
- Abigail Van Buren
What is a habit?
A habit is an acquired, learned behavior that we do without even thinking about it. It's almost involuntary because we have done it so much and it becomes practically second nature. Some habits are good, but some of our habits are really bad and they will prevent us from reaching our goals and destiny in life.
Many of our habits that we've developed stem from the environment that we were raised in. If our parents were neat and organized, chances are that we too have developed a positive habit of being organized. Same thing with health and fitness. If we were brought up living a healthy lifestyle including eating a balanced diet and exercising, chances are that we have also established healthy eating habits for ourselves and our family and we always include some kind of exercise on a daily basis.
"Bad habits are our enemies
because they hinder us from being the person we want to be."
- Joyce Meyer
The environment where we currently live will also have an impact on our habits. Our family, the friends we spend time with, co-workers, what we read, listen to and watch will also determine some of our habits.
Sometimes we will do things simply beacause other people around us are doing something. It can be good or bad but the majority want to belong to the group, so they will do things and even develop habits just to belong and get along with what the group is saying and doing. So it's important to examine our habits and if the habits are leading us to where we want to go, or are we simply doing things so we won't rock the boat?
"It's easier to prevent bad habits than to break them."
- Benjamin Franklin
Your habits, whether good or bad, will greatly determine your future. To become a better you, take inventory of your daily habits. Do you have a tendency to worry a lot? Are you mostly eating junk food? Are you spending your whole evening in front of the TV or on the internet or scrolling social media ? Do you regularly succumb to addictions?
The good news is... you can change. You can develop better habits. Most studies of habitual behavior indicate that a habit can be broken in 4-6 weeks. Just sit with that for a minute.
If you discipline yourself for a month or so, and be willing to suffer through the pain of change, you can rid yourself of a negative behavior, form a new healthy habit and create a new level of freedom in your life.
If you are willing to be uncomfortable for a while, you can press past the initial pain of change. In the long run your life will be so much better. Make a habit of being uncomfortable for some time. The pain won't last forever and once you develop a new habit, the pain will go away and you will enjoy your life a lot more.
"Your habits will determine your future."
- Jack Canfield
If you have had the same habit for 20-30 years you might not be able to overcome these habits as quickly as within 30 days. But if you will make up your mind and stick with it, it won't take years to break it.
Just make a decisions and make a commitment to stick with it... no matter what.
It will get easier every day and eventually you will do the right thing automatically. You won't even have to think about it. You will succeed.
Just remember that it is difficult in the beginning to create a new habit. Often you will get tempted to cave in to your old habits, but you must not give in. Stay on track and focus on what you want and the outcome of your goal.
A lot of us will have plenty of excuses why we shouldn't change. We can find plenty of reasons to give up and continue to live the way we have always lived. There will be plenty of temptations out there. Just remember you can overcome all of those and just stay on your path to creating your new habits and life.
"The only way to eliminate bad habits is to replace them with good ones."
- Jeremy Hines
The truth is, in reality it isn't about breaking the habits as much as it is about replacing bad habits with good ones.
The key to success is to find something with which you can replace the negative habit. If you find yourself eating every time you feel stressed out, figure out something else to do. Maybe going for a walk or a jog. Just try to stay busy and out of the kitchen.Repetition is key in creating new habits. Repeat the new habit until it becomes automatic.
Practice makes perfect.
Remember your habits today will the create your tomorrow and your future. If you have some habits that you don't like - Change them.
Decide today to become a better you, and stick with it... NO MATTER WHAT!
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