If you don’t have any bad habits you can skip reading this.
You’re still here. Good! You’ve taken the first step in identifying your bad habits by admitting you have them. They didn’t seem so bad at first. The bad habits were just insignificant and you could break them any time you want. You’ve heard about the guy who could stop smoking anytime he wanted. He’s done it many times.
Bad habits feel so good at first as you ladle more gravy on your mashed potatoes which go so well with the chicken fried steak. One little snort of a non-addictive drug won’t hurt.
Lying to your spouse was hard the first time but it got easier. Bad habits have a way of doing that – getting easier. Bad habits are a lot like drugs, they’re addictive and you find a way to rationalize them.
When you’re ready to take back control of your life and do away with your bad habits then identify them. Write them down. A bad habit could be as simple as criticizing your spouse or being impatient in the grocery line and saying words you regret. Admit you have bad habits, identify them and write them down.
Be specific. How much do you indulge in this habit and how does it affect your life? The longer you’ve been addicted to the bad habit the more difficult it will be to give it up. All the more reason to get started now. If the habit costs you money, determine how much it has cost you over the years and how you could have better spent that money.
The bad habit may not just hit you in the pocketbook but your physical and emotional health as well. It could be preventing you from achieving your goals and dreams for a better life. Bad habits waste money, strength and time. They eat away at your mind until you find a way to live with them rather than kick the habit.
Now, write down good habits that you want to acquire. This could be just the opposite of your bad habit. The bad habit could be drinking too much in front of the TV. The good habit could be to stop drinking and spend more time outside with the kids or at the health center. Give yourself a time limit when you say out with the bad and in with the good.
Put the list of good habits in a place where you see them every day. Bad habits are easy to form but good habits come hard. You’ll need all the help you can get and if they’re staring you in the face every day the positive constant reinforcement will begin to work wonders. You’ll feel uncomfortable at first but like nourishing a bad habit the good habits will get easier too.
Change your routine and stay away from any thing, place or person that might tempt you.
Replace that empty feeling as the bad habit leaves your body with something that feels good and is good. Seek help if needed and become emotionally and physically strong. You can become a slave to bad habits or good. The choice is yours to make today.
