Changing Habits -
Establishing Good Habits For Life
Changing habits - establishing good habits in place of the bad - is a powerful self help skill to master on the path to continuous improvement and personal growth. Mastering a habit is akin to mastering a corresponding area of our lives. The more masterful we become at adapting and changing our habitual ways, the more possibilities will open up to us and the more able we are to take advantage of them.
“It’s not that some people have willpower and some don’t. It’s that some people are ready to change and others are not.”
~James Gordon
Stepping Beyond Our Habitual Ways
What usually happens when we make haphazard attempts at changing habits, is that we tend to be very hard on ourselves and easy on habit. Not knowing
how to break bad habits
we approach our task with more force than skill. We take ourselves to task and try to power through using will power alone. This approach rarely succeeds, and even when it does, it usually takes a heavy toll on us. To give ourselves the best chance with changing habits we do best to be firm with habit, not hard on ourselves! We do well to step out-of-the-mind and give habit a good run for it's money. We need to work with our habits, and shape them, as we shape ourselves.
Who Is Really In Charge?
It is easy to forget that habits are, first and foremost, servants not masters. If we have shaped a habit one way, we can shape it to another. When we forget our response-ability vis-a-vis habit, existing habits will take charge - no doubt about that. In fact, this is what we want and expect from our habits - to take the reigns and free us to other things. Action and habits are the second stepping stone of out-of-the-mind self improvement and motivation. Until now, it may have slipped our awareness that habit is completely at our command. Reading the
habit manifesto
can help rekindle this important awareness and empower us to take charge of desired aspects of our lives.
The Subconscious Has It
The home of habit is the subconscious mind. This is where the power of habit is stored. The subconscious mind is where habits are created and it's where habits are broken. This is why it is sometimes called the
habit mind.
If we aim to change habits, if we want to break bad habits and cultivate good ones in their place, it is very helpful to have working knowledge of the
power of the subconscious mind.
Looking For Some Good Bad Habits To Break?
Look no further than your very own mind. The 'six mind habits we do well to manage' would be a good place to start. Habits of mind are inextricably connected to habits of action, so expect yourself not only to think differently, but also to act differently as you work through these habits in your life.
The 'six mind habits we do well to manage' are as follows...
Clinging To Our Comfort Zone
The Fear of Fear
Comparison
Catastrophizing and Other Black & White Thinking
Perfectionism
Procrastination
Working on changing these habits is challenging. Yet, with such powerful habitual patterns in place even a little progress goes a long way. Identify the one, or few, that are holding you back the most. Work with these. The stronger and more skillful we become working with our habits, the more motivated we will be to make even further progress.
Ignore The Power Of Habit At Your Peril
Habit is a power we can use to either build and fortify our lives; or to weaken and even destroy our lives. One thing is certain: the power of habit is not to be ignored. Too much of our future well-being and happiness, or impoverishment and distress, depends upon it.
For more out-of-the-mind self improvement and motivation articles related to changing habits, visit:
Self Help Self Hypnosis For Change
The Power Of Intention
Freedom From Habits Of Mind
For motivational words of wisdom related to changing habits visit:
Quotes On Discipline
Procrastination Quotes
Habit Quotes
Return from Changing Habits to Out-of-the-Mind Self Improvement and Motivation Homepage
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