Change bad habits affecting your personal growth and create a version of yourself to be proud of in 2025. The year is coming to a close and you’re probably one of many who are re-evaluating their year and what New Year resolutions to set. It is very normal to look back and ponder what you didn’t accomplish or could’ve made happen, what about leaving yesterday in the past and focusing on what can be done now? Here you will understand how to change bad habits and inherit new alternatives.
What are habits?
Habits are routine behaviours repeatedly practised. Some will say habits are neither good nor bad – if they’re not bringing out the best in you or promoting a better version of you, that’s not good is it? They naturally become part of you and your daily life you could be unaware of their conception.
By assessing daily practices/routines, and weighing up what habits are not conducive to your development, you will begin to see how they work, and how to unlearn them. In changing bad habits affecting your personal development, you will inherit new alternatives – creating a version of you to be proud of.
However long you’ve been accustomed to these habits, you are oblivious to the effect they have had on your personal growth. It’s not until you realise that you want to do better, or it’s interfering with a goal you want to achieve – something must change.
What habits do I need to change?
Apologies, as our journeys are different I won’t be able to inform you on the habits you will need to change. Here are a few examples of popular negative habits which can impact our personal development:
- Poor time management
- Unhealthy eating
- Lack of exercise
- Procastination
- Smoking
- Alcohol intake
- Lack of sleep
- Screen consumption
With the above negative habits, you can replace them into healthier positive ones; e.g. eating healthier food, implementing exercise, reading or creating daily rituals.
How to change a habit?
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 if you’re serious about making the first step to changing your habit, make a pledge. Making a pledge in writing, will help in the success of you achieving. Research suggests people who write their goals down are 42% more likely to achieve success than those who don’t. You could try this example below:
I [INSERT NAME] vow that from this day [INSERT DATE] I will take control and kick my [NAME OF HABIT] habit and fight each urge. I can do this, I will do this, to be the best version of myself.
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 15 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
Looking back and reviewing the cues I had for my smoking bad habit, I can’t see how I used smoking as a reward. Clearly when you have a habit deeply infiltrating you, you can’t make sense of it as it’s part of you.
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
As you can see the same cue, but an alternative healthier award. Choosing actions and foods I like, helped me make the switch, and start practicing my same cues but different awards.
- 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 to change a bad habit?
On average it can take 18 to 254 days to form a new habit, with an average of 66 days for it to become automatic. The time it takes to change a habit varies widely; on the person, the behavior, the circumstances and how long you’ve had the habit. Some habits are easier to form than others, and some people may find it easier to develop new behaviors. Don’t be hard on yourself its completely normal to have setbacks. Once you begin to identify your behaviour, you will stop and think about your actions 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.
Conclusion
Upon the completion of changing two habits, I felt good. I started having the feeling of wanting to change other behaviours. You could say I received an epiphany, 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 the change bad habits 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.