Personal development for brains - Daretravels.com

Changing habits can be a hard thing to master. Mostly because there are a lot of factors behind what habits you’ve developed; your social network, upbringing, work, economy, time etc.

And many of us have good reasons for changing. It could be tobacco addictions, being lazy, procrastination, eating unhealthy food and so on.

So, how do you change habits?

1. Don’t put yourself in tempting situations. If you have a tobacco addiction, in what situations do you feel like smoking? Don’t put yourself in those situations when you know you will feel like smoking. Stop going to that café if it makes you want to smoke etc.

2. Change your habits over time. Our habits are formed over time, usually on a long period of time. You can’t expect to change them over night. The trick here is to change a little over time. If you are lazy, accomplish one more thing than usual each month. If your smoking, try smoking one less cigarette each day etc. Over time this will lead to amazing progress. And it won’t come as a shock for your mind and body, and this will make it easier for you to keep the new good habit.

3. Focus on the good things that will happen if you change your habits. Focus on the positive side effects of changing; how good you will feel if you start being more effective, the great effects for your body when you stop smoking etc. If you have a positive way of looking at change, you will get positive results.

4. Have people supporting you. Tell your friends you are going to change a habit. That makes you more obligated to change and your friends will support you, and talk to you, during hard times.

These tips have served me well and I am sure they will for you too. Especially number 2 is key to success, changing habits over time. Small steps of change is much easier to accomplish and makes the bad habit smaller and easier to handle and change.