Change bad habits. Stop affecting your personal growth. Here you will learn the process to change your bad habits and inherit new alternatives. Habits are routine behaviours repeatedly practised.
They naturally become part of us, so we are unaware of their conception. If we teach ourselves how they work, it will make it easier to change our bad habits and inherit new alternatives.
However long you’ve been accustomed to these habits, you are oblivious to the effect they have had on your personal growth. Apologies, as our journeys are different I won’t be able to inform you on yours. I can and will briefly and fill you in on my own personal experience.
Bad habits can be hard to get rid of, even with the best intentions, that’s why it’s best to know the process.
A habit is made up of 3 parts a cue, routine and reward. Firstly, you will need to identify your cue. Once recognised, it will be easier to break down the habit before it occurs, resulting in the feeling of reward as it happens.
To be able to change just one bad habit will change your life
Before we go any further I would like to suggest that you first need to be serious about making the first step to changing your habit. It will not work unless you make a pledge to yourself. You may want to try this.
I [INSERT NAME] vow that from this day [INSERT DATE] I will take control and kick my [NAME OF HABIT] and fight each urge. I can do this, I will do this.
Believe me when I say I qualify to assure you this process works. I’ve been able to change several habits, the specific ones I’ll give you examples for are smoking and drinking coffee.
For over 18 years I was a smoker, which is why it was probably the hardest one to change.
Example Of How to Change A Smoking Bad Habit
Cues accompanied with reward
- Morning coffee Reward: desire to start the day with a cigarette
- Take a break at work Reward: the desire for a cigarette from working so hard
- Stressed out Reward: desire to release each stress with each puff I take from cigarette
The same cue as above but different award
- Make breakfast first before I enjoy my cup of coffee
- Eat one of my favourite snacks I prepared especially for my break e.g. water crackers, cheese and cucumber with caramelised onion hmmm
- Release some endorphins by dancing to my favourite songs. If not alone breathe in and out as if was taking in and out the nicotine from the cigarette
How long will it take you to quit?
On average I’d say 30 days to practice the habit. Don’t be hard on yourself if it doesn’t work straight away as a crave is addictive. As you identify what you’re doing you will stop and think about it first.
Throughout the process of changing bad habit no. 1, I’d say I had 2-3 relapses which to be honest I know was from a lack of control, that I could have harnessed. The one relapse I remember was because I was at a social gathering with friends and one of them asked if I wanted a cigarette. I accepted the offer as it was there, once I left the gathering I didn’t take the habit back up as that feeling of desire was no longer there.
Upon the completion of changing two habits, I felt good. I started getting the feeling of wanting to change other behaviours. You could say I received an epiphany, I had moved to new levels with my personal growth and was undertaking activities I would have not performed before.
In conclusion, I would recommend, along with this process, The Power Of Habit book by Charles Duhigg. In my opinion, it is a 5-star read. The in-depth account of varied habit stories from individuals to corporate, emphasises the importance of understanding the power a habit can have on your life. It’s a little more than that but I can’t give you all the juice.
Have you changed a bad habit? How long did it take you?
Please share this post if you found it useful. Remember change makers, change starts with you if you want to see the change.