Every single person possesses characteristics which could be referred to as habits. A habit is defined as ‘a way of behaving that is repeated so often it no longer involves conscious thought.’
We are born with a limited amount of ability to perform basic functions in life such as crying when we are hungry, sleeping when we are fatigued and similar functions. Nevertheless, with our birth also came the ability to pick up and learn certain things which become a part of us and invariably habits.
A habit may be a person eating diner before seven o’clock every evening. Such habit, without question, would be regarded as good because it has a positive effect on the person involved health-wise and sleep-wise.
Habits are vital, as they help us get on with our day to day activities. We do not have to think about how to drive our cars once we already know to how to drive. You do not have to reflect on how to walk to know in which direction you are heading or to help you concentrate. Our personalities and characters are a build-up of our habits. From the manner in which we speak, reason, relate with others, respond to needs, react to situations, walk, amongst other elements we display and possess, we are living out our habits.
Another kind of habit may be of a person drinking alcohol every evening routinely, or pilfering. Such habits would be immediately condemned and perceived as bad because of the negativity of their nature and the effect it will have on the person performing them.
A habit could also be perceived in another light as an addiction. As against the general notion that addictions are only bad things, good habits can be as addictive as their bad counterparts.
Many of these habits are actions that we do not pay attention to and carry on with, without properly thinking about them before we act. We also take for granted the plausible reactions or results which could emanate from them in the negative.
Unfortunately, many of such habits have the ability to keep us entangled in self-destructive patterns, which are dangerous to our overall development and wellbeing.
It is therefore, necessary for us to drop off some of these habits if we are determined to make meaning and success of our lives. It is only then that we can build new ones to replace them and develop in line with our desires and goals. We do not suddenly wake up to discover that we are at a certain point in our lives; our habits led us there.
Breaking an old habit is not at all an easy task. Determination and staying focused are the only attributes that can help you go through with such a decision.
Jack Canfield, in his book ‘Chicken Soup for the Soul’ offers the following step by step process to getting rid of bad habits and imbibing more beneficial ones.
What are the habits you have that are keeping you from achieving your goals?
Really, be honest with yourself here… Are you always running late?
Do you return phone calls within 24 hours?
Do you get enough sleep? Do you follow through on your promises? Do you plan out your day?
Imagine what your life would be like if all your habits were their productive counterparts!
What would your life be like if you ate healthy meals, exercised and got enough sleep?
What if you saved your money, stopped borrowing and paid from your pocket for everything?
What if you stopped procrastinating, overcame your fears, and began networking with people in your field?
He suggests that we write down some productive habits you could adopt and visualise in our lives. Step two is to ‘act as if’ you were living these new habits right now!
He advises that we get moving toward creating more successful habits. “I’d recommend you develop four of your new success habits each year, one for each quarter.
“Once you pick the new habit you’re ready to adopt, next you’ll want to create a method that will support your new habit.
“You could write it down on a card that you keep with you and read several times a day. You could make it a part of your daily visualisation. You could also enlist the help of an accountability partner who has habits to change, or work with a personal coach who can keep you on track.
“It’s important to make a 100% commitment to your new habit. So, be specific about the steps that you’re willing to take in order to drop an old habit and adopt a new one. Don’t be vague about how you will change your habits. Spell it out for yourself so you can recognize situations that motivate you to act out your new habit.
“Just developing four new habits a year will dramatically shift your life to be more in line with your vision. And the more in line it becomes, the easier the other habits you are to replace because your perspective is shifting and you can see more clearly how your old habits aren’t serving you anymore.
“Make the decision. Make the commitment. Then, watch your new, positive life unfold!”
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