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Monday, May 2, 2011

Are You Ready to Change Your Bad Habits?

“Bad habits are like a comfortable bed, easy to get into, but hard to get out of.”

~Unknown

We often get comfortable with our habits, even if they are not habits that are good for us.  It isn't that we are too lazy to change them; only that sometimes the pain of that bad habit isn't strong enough to motivate us to "get up" and change.  Actually, changing habits doesn't have to be that difficult, but is DOES require that you have the intention and motivation to stick with your decision to change and follow through.  Just as you have to decide to get out of bed in the morning, you also have to decide that you want to make the change.

 This week:  Think about a bad habit you have wanted to change. Are you ready to make a commitment to this change? It needs to be more than a belief that "it would be nice to change,"  it needs to be absolutely essential for you to make the change.  Think about what will happen if you don't make this change.  What will happen to you and the life you want to have?  What won't happen as a result of not changing this bad habit?  Are there things that won't happen if you change this bad habit?  What good things can happen if you make the change?  Fully consider the consequences of keeping yourself stuck in this bad habit.  Decide if you are really motivated to change.  If not, don't pretend that you are.  Acknowledge to yourself whether you are motivated to change or not.  If not, what will you need to do to get motivated?  Do you know what it will take to change that bad habit? 

Linda Pucci, Ph.D. is a psychologist, life coach and expert in helping people make the changes necessary to overcome obstacles to their success and happiness.  When you have the right tools, you can change any bad habit, and it isn't even all that difficult.  For more information got to http://www.innerresourcecenter.com/ and download free resources or call for a complimentary consultation.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I certainly hope readers will heed your suggestions. A good ole southern friend of mine says, "That nail the old dog is laying on hurts; all he has to do is get up and move." He first said this to me when I was comtemplating my move from my corporate career to my coaching practice. Even after being through it, it is still hard to change. I really like your exhortation to not lie to self should you know you are not willing to change. BUT, when we are, the path ufolds.

Kristina said...

Just the kick in the pants I needed. There are a few bad habits I need to change, so I picked one to focus on and answered all of your questions. I am keeping those answers beside my bed so I can read them before I go to bed and first thing when I wake up. Thanks so much for your advice!

Lisa Claudia said...

HI Linda,
loved the quotes! In my own experience there has to be a lot of inspiration, something calling us forward that lights up our desire to get us over the hump of the short-term discomfort around change. I think your questions about readiness are key...they will spare somebody from feeling demoralized if they're just not ready.Also, people need to watch our for their all-or-nothing perfectionism and only take on one habit at a time. Right now I've been relaunching my meditation practice...every day my mind wants to find an excuse and every day I have to call forth the original inspiration.

Blessings-
Lisa
http://www.IntuitiveBody.com
Breaking The Spell of Overeating

Denise said...

Hi Linda,
Thanks for the post! I most loved the quote about the comfortable bed. When I change a bad habit, I find the most interesting conversations going on between my mid-brain's emotional power and my frontal lobe's rational thinking. Sometimes, the lay's potato chip bag wins, not that I want it to :) Thanks for the questions! Denise

Santoshamo said...

Love this. What is compelling to me about this is not even so much the idea of changing bad habits, but adding beneficial habits...or maybe the flip side of the beneficial habit of walking is all the stuff I do instead --- thanks for the invitation to move myself towards what I want!

Anonymous said...

OK trying this again, the first one got lost somewhere. One of my own mentors tells me "the pain to stay the same has to be MORE than the pain to change." Enough said!