What are your bad habits?
- Smoking
- Talking too much
- Drinking
- Untidiness
Within this article are FIVE simple reasons for breaking a bad habit.
Whether it is an endless pile of clothes in the corner, you are waiting to someday turn into gold, a self-proclaimed disability that renders you unable to refrain from interrupting, or a knack for timing your exit just so, so that someone else is continually left to pick up the dishes, now is the time to extinguish these habits before they turn into next year’s resolutions. Why?
It is not fair to others
One of the great universal laws ruling our wonderful planet says that you get back what you put out there.
Want others to be kind and considerate to you?
Then start putting the considerate, kind vibes out there and pick up your clothes, your dishes, and stop interrupting or whatever it is you, or a collective “others” define as a bad habit.
It is not fair to you
I am sure you are a nice person, and you pride yourself on having generous, warmhearted traits.
So, it is not fair to you either that this simple, little, annoying thing you do can wield power now or will soon have.
These tiny culprits have been known to ruin marriages friendships and cause the downfall of many a mighty person.
Plus, you will feel better about yourself.
Your success depends on it
Bad habits have a funny way of scope and context creep.
First, they only happen in certain situations, and the next thing you know, you are swirling your fingers through the chip dip at a business function.
Put an end to it now before situations that require your utmost polish become tarnished by these annoying little critters.
You probably do not like it when others do the same thing
Think about it. If someone did the same thing to you, would it bother you?
Be honest.
Sometimes all it takes is a simple exercise in empathy to find the motivation to quit whatever we could benefit from stopping.
List your reasons
But be sincere.
What is it costing you to perpetuate these habits?
Whether it is a moment of peace, seemingly perpetual nagging, or simple anxiety resulting from anticipation of the next blow-up or negative comment, you owe it to yourself to commit to your ongoing personal development and to the elimination of any behavior whose costs far outweigh the benefits.
So how does one begin?
Just like breaking a smoking habit, bad habits have a way of creeping up on us and slowly, over time, becoming somewhat akin to an appendage—i.e., they are hard to get rid of.
Here are some tips for breaking these bad habits:
Start small:
While it might not be reasonable to expect that you can stop whatever you are doing overnight, identify what might constitute a small step in the right direction?
Write down that step and carry it out over the next 21 days.
Commit:
Promise yourself you will make this shift, and if reinforcement and punishment work—use it!
Figure out how you might reward yourself for making the change. Alternatively, figure out how you might penalize yourself if you do not.
Also, write two lists, one of the reasons you are doing this and a list of the things that you will miss out on if you keep on making your bad habit.
Identify alternatives:
What are some alternatives to the behavior you are demonstrating?
Is there a quick fix or solution that might help provide an alternative—e.g., put a laundry basket by the bedside (one to match with the décor) so that you do not end up with a pile on the floor?
Get help:
Ask someone to help keep you accountable.
If they have been victims of this bad habit, they will most likely be thrilled you asked!
Ask for feedback:
Because human nature dictates that we will only complain when we offend, rather than amend, ask for feedback frequently.
Do not assume that no news is good news, but be sure to praise when praise is due.