The challenge is that negative habits are often rooted deeply, and stepping into positive change can be a confusing and frustrating ordeal. Because I continue to study and practice this subject so deeply I am motivated to share what I have learned. Consider the key steps outlined below and move more effectively into positive change.
CONNECT TO THE WHY
Why exercise? Why eat healthfully? Why achieve material success? The difficulty for me early on was that I could not connect deeply enough to the "WHY". I already knew how to "succeed" and "achieve". However, I had not yet connected that success and achievement with reasons that were lasting. Find reasons to step into constant positive change that are so powerful that they will carry you through any joy or sorrow. Find reasons so powerful that they will inspire you to strengthen good habits throughout an entire lifetime.
KNOW WHAT A GOOD HABIT IS
Once you connect to the "WHY", the next step is to make certain that you know what a good habit is. Does your nutritional plan come from Cosmo? Does your exercise plan come from GQ? My experience is that you are best off receiving your guidance from an authentic spiritual teacher. Make long term happiness your goal and find out what enlightened men and women say about exercise, nutrition, and vocation.
CREATE A VERY CLEAR PICTURE
Visualize a new habit as a natural part of your life. Richly imagine all the ways it benefits yourself and others. Feel the truth of it in your heart. Now trust that truth and let it go. If the habit is a good one for you to have, it is inevitable that its realization will come to pass. From time to time, repeat this. Allow room for your picture to adjust as you learn more about yourself and discover higher ideals.
IN THE BEGINNING KEEP YOUR NEW HABIT A SECRET
It is very important that you develop new habits for reasons that are your own. The seeds of your good intentions must be planted in a place so deep that nobody else can dig them up. This is the best way. Later, you can share your intentions with someone that you trust. Doing so at this time can actually add strength to the development of your new habit.
USE WHATEVER TOOLS YOU CAN
Keep a picture of someone with positive qualities. Write and speak beneficial affirmations. Listen to inspirational recordings. Meditate. Get mystical; use astrological timing and the cycles of the moon. The mind is very impressionable. My experience is that, with the right tools, change can be nearly instantaneous.
COMMIT TO ACTION
Make and maintain positive changes in your behavior. Allow the experience of the body to be in sync with the experience of the mind. My personal method is to anchor myself in some small change to which I know I can commit, but to act in ways that actually exceed that change. That minimum new action becomes my fallback, until it becomes so natural that I am ready for the next incremental commitment. In this way I balance discipline with patience.
BE PREPARED FOR RELATIONSHIPS TO CHANGE
Can you be so dedicated to living your very best life that you are willing to step into positive change even if it means that your current relationships make dramatic shifts? Negative habits are usually tied up in the lives of people we love. For me this has been the most challenging aspect of change. It has required the development of communication skills far beyond what I could have imagined, and it has required a willingness to let go, at least temporarily, of many beautiful people.
CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY
When we make a promise only to ourselves, the mind can trick us into believing that it is okay to break or delay that promise. Work with an experienced teacher or personal coach in regular way. Receive the support, guidance, and inspiration that will keep you going. Investing in oneself in this way is more valuable than a college education and only a fraction of the cost.
PERSEVERE
A life dedicated to continuously stepping into positive change is a life filled with challenge. You will be powerfully confronted with questions about your basic nature, and the relationships you have chosen may be tested to the extreme. However, along the way you will also see the transient nature of your challenges and experience a life of increasing peace and purpose.
To avoid the bad habits involved in letting yourself become overweight, you need to think differently. You can do this by thinking of food as a special treat that you only get at certain times. You can eat like a thin person-picking out the best part and leaving the rest. There are a host of different thinking patterns you can take on to avoid getting fat.
For every bad habit, there is a way to avoid it. The trouble is that no one can be vigilant enough to control that many behaviors. What is more, many bad habits start before people are old enough to think much about it. If you want to, though, you can pass up some of them.
Good Habits Turning into Bad Habits
Sometimes people make their neatness into bad habits. They start out nice enough. They just want to keep things tidy and clean. They are perfectly willing to do some work to keep it that way. Then, they go overboard. They begin stressing over every tiny smudge or speck of dust. Besides this, they expect you to be as obsessive as they are.
There are two of these situations that are fairly similar. People turn good savings practices into bad habits. The first is when a person starts saving money for emergencies or for the future. They start a savings account, or an investment account. Then they begin to put money into it.
This just goes to show that extremes are usually bad habits waiting to happen. Be a considerate person, yes, but do not do it at the expense of your own well-being. Indeed, you should maintain a savings account. Just make sure your family has what it needs. Do not let your good habits turn into bad habits and make your life difficult.
How to Break Bad Habits
Bad habits can be broken in many ways, one of common bad habits is "name dropping". You may be insecure. Most people will not take it in a friendly way. Try to tell your same stories but without the names to stop yourself from doing this. You might say, "My friend Brad" instead of "my friend Brad Pitt," or something like that.
If you have the bad habit of chewing with your mouth open, there may be a physical cause. It is disgusting at the dinner table and might make you look bad at a dinner meeting. Perhaps all you need is a nasal decongestant. Maybe if you can breathe through your nose, you will close your mouth.
Gossips are notorious for starting trouble in any group to which they belong. These people often find their lives so boring that they cannot find anything else to talk about. Their only topic of discussion is other people's business. These people can break this bad habit by finding new interests to think and therefore talk about.
Both Kevin Michael Kiley & Lindelwa Maseko are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Kevin Michael Kiley has sinced written about articles on various topics from self improvement and motivation, Careers and Job Hunting and self improvement and motivation. This article was written by Kevin Michael Kiley, a highly skilled life coach and successful entrepreneur. After graduating from Dartmouth, he helped build three companies before engaging in a profound spiritual search. To learn whether Kevin may be a go. Kevin Michael Kiley's top article generates over 9900 views. to your Favourites.
Lindelwa Maseko has sinced written about articles on various topics from Disease & illness, Blood Pressure and Asthma. You welcome to visit: plus. Lindelwa Maseko's top article generates over 40500 views. to your Favourites.