Creating New Habits For Success"Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters."
Who we are, what we have become and where we are going is determined largely on the habits we choose to adopt. What is a habit? It is when we perform something over and over again until we no longer have to consciously think about what we are doing. After so much repetition our subconscious mind just takes over and we "automatically" perform. For example: Have you ever had the experience of "zoning out" while driving the same route you normally do? All of a sudden you are at your destination with no memory of how you got there? This is due to the repetition of doing the same thing so many times. It is the same when it comes to our thoughts. Any thought we choose to have over and over will become a habit, but more importantly, it will shape the way our lives unfold. These thoughts become our belief system and our belief system shapes our reality.
Repetition Is Powerful
Habits are many, many, many times more powerful than wants or desires. That is why it is not enough to just want a new car. You have to create new habits of thought to support that want. Otherwise, nothing will happen. Creating new habits consists of visualizing, using affirmations, talking and thinking continually about your desire, and then taking action when the opportunity presents itself. After time, those thoughts and actions (which are energy) will begin to support your vision and the circumstances will come about to make your wish a reality.
Want To Be Successful? Create New Habits
This is one of the secrets of very successful people. They know that when they want something, the best way to achieve it is by creating new habits that support getting it, both of thought and action. For example:
Unfortunately, it is the same when you create a negative or self-defeating habit. This usually starts after an experience that leads you to believe a certain way. For example: When we are children, we are constantly bombarded with ideas and beliefs. Because of this, we are always creating new habits . Most likely, we choose to adopt many of them because of the tender and influential state we are in. So we grow up with preconceived notions of what life actually is, until we become old enough to challenge those beliefs. The problem is by then it is usually very hard to overcome a belief we have held for so long. However, it is doable. We can choose to change our belief system and adopt a new set of beliefs based on what we feel to be true. Every habit starts with a thought. A seed is planted in our mind that we choose to either accept or deny. Because of our vulnerability when we are children, that seed is usually seen as truth, therefore it is adopted. From this mental adoption we create a physical one that corresponds. When this happens, it makes changing bad habits very challenging because most of the time, we try to change only the physical action. For example: Stop smoking, stop drinking or stop being compulsive. However, the physical action is only one aspect of it. In order to change the physical impulses, it is important to change the thought that started it all. What Change Can You Make?According to several scientists and theories, it is suggested that creating new habits takes 21 days of repetition to accomplish the change.The following exercise outlines some steps to take when creating new habits: 1. Decide on a goal and write it down. Putting something in writing solidifies the message you're sending to your brain. It also makes you clear on the reasoning behind changing the habit. Is it for your overall good? What do you want to accomplish by changing this habit? Do you want more self-confindence? Better health? Write it all down. 2. Look at your calendar 21 days from now. Underneath your goal write what you want to have accomplished on that date. For example: If you're 21st day falls on January 20th, and your goal is to quit biting your nails, write: "My nails are now long and beautiful, and I no longer have the urge to bite them. This goal is completed on January 20th." Remember to write the positive and state it as if it were already a success. Practicing goal setting games will change your outlook on life and help you create new habits. 3. Find yourself a support group. It is important to have someone you can talk to and who will support your efforts. This will greatly increase your chance of success. 4. Use creative visualization to help you get past the hurdles you will encounter. Imagine yourself at the finish line, in complete detail. Remember to feel the happiness and satisfaction at achieving your goal. 5. Creating new habits can be challenging. Find alternatives for when you feel tempted to revert back to your old ways. For example: If you are trying to eat a more balanced diet, and you're tempted to binge because you're stressed out, try substituting your old unhealthy food with some other desirable (but healthy) choice. Of course you can go on a walk, read, or do any other activity as well. Just find a pleasurable substitution and pretty soon you will adopt new ideas instead of the old self-defeating ones. 6. Take it one day at a time. Keep a list of positive affirmations supporting your goal within eyes reach as much as possible. It will help keep you motivated and encouraged. Don't worry if you slide a little. Everyone does. Just acknowledge the trigger that set you down the unwanted path, then turn it around and get back on target. 7. Celebrate your successes with verbal rewards and lots of positive reinforcement. Training yourself to be positive can be a bit of a challenge at first, but it will serve you well over time. Too many of us are positively gloomy most of the time. Try breaking through the old way of seeing the negative in everything to creating new habits that see the positive and you will find your life flows much more easily. Aristotle said: "We are what we repeatedly do. Exellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." What would our lives be like if we continually strove for excellence? What if we saw success in every area and nothing was impossible to us? We would have different experiences that would create a different life. A life of happiness and contentment. Habits are either our friend or foe, but the important thing to remember is we get to choose which one!
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