Bad habits are a constant reminder of weakness and failure and can easily prevent us from fully enjoying our lives. The reason: because when something is habitual it means that we do it without thinking – it’s part of the fabric of our life, whether it’s good or bad for us.
So I think we can all agree that breaking bad habits should be among
our top priorities in order for us to get the most out of our lives. For
me personally, every time I have managed to get a bad habit under control it
has set me free – made me unbelievably happy and repurposed my life. So the
question is, how do we break a bad habit that has maybe been with us for 10,
20, 30+ years? The first step is obviously identifying the habit(s). Here are a couple tips for identifying bad habits:
- Compare your life with your
value system
Do you live according to your value system? Or do you deviate from it here and there? Your value system acts like a compass that guides your life. When you do things that are not according to your life compass, then you know that you have a problem. So look for things you consistently deviate from your value system. Also anything you do regularly that makes you feel uncomfortable, sick or out of control. Those are your bad habits. - Compare your life with a role
model
Sometimes it’s easier to compare your life with someone else’s life than to compare it with an abstract value system. So find people whose life you want to emulate and find the details of how they live their life. Is there anything they don’t do that you consistently do? For instance, perhaps they are never late. You, on the other hand, are perpetually late. That’s a bad habit you should stop.
The next step after identifying the bad habits is to break them. I’m glad I found some good tips for it in the book Become a Better You by Joel Osteen. While the book is based on Christian principles, many lessons in it are universally applicable including its suggestions on breaking bad habits. Here are four tips to stop bad habits based on the book:
1. Quit feeding the bad habit
There are two “wolves” inside us that fight each other. One wolf represents good habits while the other represents bad habits. Which wolf will win the fight? The answer is the one you feed. So breaking bad habit is actually simple: just stop feeding it. Leave the bad habit starve and you are on your way to killing it.
2. Replace it with a good habit
Not feeding the bad habit is essential but it’s not enough. You must also replace it with a good habit. Otherwise there is an empty space in your life where the bad habit could go back to anytime.
So develop a good habit to replace the bad habit. For instance, if you have the habit of thinking negative thoughts, you should replace it with the habit of thinking positive thoughts. Whenever negative thoughts come, use it as a trigger to start thinking positive thoughts. Or if you have the habit of eating unhealthy food, you can start developing the habit of eating healthy food. Just don’t leave the space empty.
3. Press past the initial pain and discomfort
When breaking a bad habit, the beginning of the process is the most difficult. Just like getting a space shuttle lifted off the Earth takes enormous amount of power, it also takes enormous amount of willpower to break a bad habit. And just like moving a space shuttle that has escaped the Earth’s gravitational pull takes little energy, it also takes only little amount of willpower to continue with a new habit.
The initial phase is the most difficult, but it will get easier and easier as time passes. So whenever you think that it’s too difficult to stay on course, just remember that it won’t be long. You just have to keep moving forward and persevere. My motto: Slow and Steady Wins the Race.
4. Make a “no exceptions” policy
Once you decide to break a bad habit, stick with your decision. Make no exceptions to come back to it for whatever reason. I know it’s not easy (at least for me), but this step is essential if you want the process to get easier over time. Making exceptions is like taking a space shuttle back to Earth; you need another enormous amount of power to lift it off again. So be careful not to make exceptions when you are dealing with bad habits.
These four tips are simple but powerful. Take your power back!
| STATS | |
| Journey Day: | 110 |
| Today's Calories: | 1640 |
| Daily Calorie Goal: | 1700 |
| Next Weigh In: | 5/7/14 |
| Days till Weigh-In: | 5 |
| Starting Weight: | 351 |
| Current Weight: | 336 |
| Lost So Far: | 15 |
| DAILY CALORIE TRACKER | |
| Meatless Friday 5/2/14 | |
| Calories | |
| Breakfast | |
| English Muffin w/PB2&J | 250 |
| 3/4c Steamed Seasoned Lentils | 165 |
| Sliced Fresh Strawberries | 75 |
| Hazelnut Crème Decaf | 50 |
| Organic Mixed Greens | 0 |
| Total: | 540 |
| Hazelnut Coffee | 0 |
| McIntosh | 60 |
| Total: | 60 |
| Lunch | |
| Shrimp Salad | 370 |
| Carrots | 30 |
| Total: | 400 |
| Snacks | |
| 1.5oz Mixed Nuts | 240 |
| Total: | 240 |
| Dinner | |
| 2 egg omlett w/mushrooms, spinich, cheese Wrap | 400 |
| Organic Mixed Greens | 0 |
| Total: | 400 |
| Snacks | |
| Hazelnut Crème Decaf | 0 |
| Daily Total: | 1640 |
| Daily Calorie Goal: | 1700 |
| 25 min exercise (minimum) | Yes |
