Bad habits are a multimillion dollar industry. Just think about how much money is spent on quit smoking or weight loss programs. Next time you go shopping take a look at the products available to help you quit biting your nails, and you will see what I mean. If breaking bad habits was easy the industry wouldn't exist.
Well-meaning friends are always quick to offer advice; I mean how hard can it be? You are overweight, just eat less. Problem solved.
The truth is, you don't need to be told why the habit is bad for you. You know all the reasons why you should give up your bad habit, so all the well-meaning advice goes straight over your head. It would be much more helpful if people were more positive about the advice they gave. It is more important to know about the positive, up side of stopping the bad habit. Thinking about good results is more likely to trigger an incentive to quit.
If knowing the reasons why a habit is bad for you, or the advantages of giving it up were all that was needed, you would have given up the habit long ago. What is needed is the will power to make it happen, but how do you get that?
Incentive is what you need and I don't mean that you could save money if you gave up smoking, that is just another up side to giving up the habit. What I mead is something new, some angle that has not occured to you before, a moment when the light goes on.
It is often surprising what triggers the incentive to quit. Here is an interesting example. I have just read a story about a young woman who put on so much weight she was virtually a recluse. At a size 26 she was clinically obese ,and age 20 unable to enjoy life. The incentive came when her boyfriend told her that he was sick of leading half a life. He didn't worry about her weight, he just wanted them to get out and enjoy life. That was the trigger. She loved him and wanted him to be happy, so she started a serious weight loss program. Of course she wanted to lose weight for herself, but the incentive was never there. Her boyfriends wish for them to enjoy themselves provided that incentive.
Bad habits that are well entrenched are always going to be difficult to quit, but it's amazing what results people can achieve when something triggers the incentive. Years ago I knew a woman aged thirty who had bitten her nails all her life. One day she saw me apply cuticle cream to my nails. I had just got engaged and was wearing a diamond ring, so was giving my nails extra care. She had also become engaged but was embarrassed about her nails which were bitten to the quick. She purchased some cream, applied it every day and set a goal to have long nails by her wedding day. She could have stopped biting her nails at any time, but it was the wedding that became the incentive.
Reason's are not incentives; reasons why a habit is bad for you is not going to make you quit. Find an incentive and you will stand a chance. Of course this doesn't mean you should carry on with a bad habit until an incentive presents itself. You should always be trying to give up, especially if the habit is damaging your health or well-being.
Once you've decided to quit your bad habit avoid telling friends and family. Especially if you've tried giving up before and failed. If you do feel the need to share, make sure it is someone supportive, you don't need others to gloat if you slip up.
Take a good look at your situation and work out a strategy for dealing with it. Smokers for instance say smoking gives them something to do with their hands; by keeping their hands busy they can lessen the need to light up so often.
Everyone deals with bad habits differently; as far as solutions go one size does not fit all. Finding an incentive that will work for you is the key to correcting bad habits
Remember, you're always too young to start a bad habit and never too old to give it up.
The growing levels of British debt in the last decade seem to have continued unabated into 2007. As of April, the official debt facts and figures collected by CreditAction cite total UK personal debt as ?1325 billion - that's a growth rate of 10.4 per cent on the previous 12 months. Of this, a whopping ?1112 billion was accounted to secured loans, a rise of 11.4 per cent since April 2006, while the remaining ?213 billion was attributed to consumer credit lending.
According to the credit agency, Britain's personal debt is increasing by an average of ?1 million every four minutes. But while this image of the profligate British borrower is becoming increasingly typical, how often exactly do people take out loans - and for what purposes? Somewhat paradoxically, a recent survey conducted by Alliance and Leicester has found that the majority of consumers in the UK don't actually borrow money unless they really need to, and make a conscious effort to refrain from getting into debt.
The survey found that 62 per cent of UK financial consumers take out a loan only when necessary. Out of those consumers that did rely on borrowing, 50 per cent were more considered with their loan or other source of credit being convenient rather than the importance of getting good value for money. For instance, 40 per cent of those classified as borrowers claimed to have taken out a car loan at a dealership because it was an easier option, even though the loan was more expensive that other options.
In fact, the research suggested that only a small number of borrowers were financially educated enough to realise the value of shopping around for a loan before making a decision and, as a result, many consumers were missing out on the best deals and rates. Additionally, many of those surveyed claimed to only borrow in order to finance the cost of larger purchases, such as a car or a holiday.
A spokesperson from Alliance and Leicester commented:
"The research highlights how, despite good intentions, many people don't give careful thought to how they borrow. Anyone who is paying over the odds for large purchases on costly store cards or expensive dealer finance should look at how much they could save by moving to a low-rate personal loan."
However, have also received a lot of press recently as the four hikes in the Bank of England interest rate that have occurred since August 2006 have forced many of these loans out of the best buy tables. Nevertheless, it's still possible to search for the best loans and loan rates available via consumer comparison sites on the web, so borrowers will be able to make the best financial decision possible in order to reduce Britain's spiralling levels of debt.
Both Trish Powell & Paul Mcindoe 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.
Trish Powell has sinced written about articles on various topics from Stress Management, Types of Cancer and Exercising and Running. Trish is a Life Coach specializing in health wellness and relationships. She has a very informative and authorative site on how to become Fit For Life.Visit her site now.. Trish Powell's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.
Paul Mcindoe has sinced written about articles on various topics from Mortgage, Types of Cancer and Manchester Travel. Paul McIndoe is a recent university graduate whose hobbies include water-skiing and rock climbing.. Paul Mcindoe's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.