How to Overcome Bad Habits & Build Good Ones

Once you are committed to something, nothing else will stand in your way. Yet, if the commitment is strong enough.

You control your habits. Success and joy come from focusing on what you can control. Whenever you focus on situations or people outside of your control, you lose even more control, you enter a state of deception and despair.

Good habits create a positive mindset. When you focus on behaviors that you can control, you can develop plans and take action. The hope of being able to solve a problem is often enough to change your mood, which in turn changes the outcome.

 Brendon Burchard teaches that:

“You have to know who you are, what you value, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and where you want to go. This kind of knowledge makes you feel better about yourself and life”

When you have clear intentions and a focused purpose, your “why” becomes your main motivator. No action or sacrifice is too much for that goal.

Identifying the Habit

The first step in breaking any bad habit is to recognize and understand it. Often, we fall into automatic behaviors that we don’t even realize are happening until they become entrenched in our daily routines.

• Reflection: Take time to observe your behavior and pinpoint the specific habit you want to break. Be honest about the impact it’s having on your life.

• Analysis: Ask yourself why you developed this habit in the first place. What purpose does it serve, and why do you continue to engage in it?

By identifying the bad habit clearly, you’re one step closer to eliminating it.

Start small

Aristotle once wrote,

 “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit” 

He was right. Doing something over and over makes it easy. If you want to sell better, start by creating conversations. Don’t focus on the sale itself; focus on the habit of picking up the phone and talking to people.

Every big habit is supported by many smaller habits. Find the small habit and develop that first. It’s easy to do many little things over and over again.

Focus on routine

Eventually, you’ll be able to do those things on autopilot. Make your desired habit part of your daily routine. Write it down. Check it off your list.

If you want better clients, find out what you need to do to get them and then create habits that revolve around those specific actions. Calendar it into your daily schedule. Any goal is possible. Just commit to it and pencil it in. As best-selling 

Charles Duhigg says,

 “The key to victory is creating the right routines”

Understanding the Triggers

Bad habits are often driven by specific triggers, situations, emotions, or people that prompt you to engage in the behavior. Understanding these triggers can help you disrupt the habit loop.

• Situational Triggers: Do you notice that you bite your nails when you’re stressed at work? Do you smoke when you’re around certain people or during specific times of the day?

• Emotional Triggers: Some habits stem from emotions like anxiety, boredom, or frustration. Identifying these emotional patterns can help you avoid or manage them more effectively.

Once you understand your triggers, you can create strategies to avoid or manage them, which is crucial in breaking bad habits.

Find your super-supporter

You need to spend time around the people who will help you keep your habits. Don’t take it from me; take it from

Oprah Winfrey once said,

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher”

Find the most positive person you know and ask them to hold you accountable.

They will make sure you are on track and do it positively. This type of supporter is needed to help you know that you are staying consistent with your values and that your actions align with your “why.”Habits help you do things consistently without thinking about the entire process all the time. Habits can make or break you. The good thing is that habits can be changed.

The choices you make today form your habits of tomorrow. If you believe in your ability to adjust and change, you can develop habits that will enable you to maximize your potential. 

As Christopher Bergland, a world-class endurance athlete, coach, and author, notes,

“One could speculate that this process opens up the possibility to reinvent yourself and move away from the status quo or to overcome past traumatic events that evoke anxiety and stress. Hardwired fear-based memories often lead to avoidance behaviors that can hold you back from living your life to the fullest”

Conclusion

Breaking bad habits and building better ones is a gradual process, but with dedication, patience, and the right strategies, you can make meaningful and lasting changes. By identifying your habit, understanding triggers, setting goals, replacing negative behaviors, staying accountable, being persistent, and rewarding yourself, you can successfully break free from bad habits and replace them with healthier ones.

Remember, it takes time and effort, but the results are worth it. Stick with your plan, and you’ll soon see progress toward a happier, healthier version of yourself.