Breaking bad habits is less about taking out and more about what you add back in. It’s being so emotionally invested in the good you can’t say no. Here you’ll learn how to break bad habits and build new ones.
I like the concept of habits. By definition, a habit means, a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. Using this definition then we know that a habit is something ingrained in us, it’s part of our daily life. Maybe even, almost making us who we are.
The problem, as we all know is when bad habits get mixed in with where we want to go. Although, I assume that if we didn’t have any bad habits, then we’d be where we want to go, or at least close.
But there’s one big thing I’m learning about breaking bad habits and building new ones. They aren’t just separate entities or boxed off issues, they are all intertwined in who we are. Just like everything runs together, they flow from the same person and in the end, the same mindset.
So I like to think of them more as daily rhythms, than habits.
Today on the podcast we dive into breaking bad habits and the easiest way to form new nourishing ones. If you allow this to sink in, it can change everything. Because once we create nourishing rhythms, then we eliminate 90% of the battle and that is just starting and making healthy habits a part of our every day.
I’ve created a FREE handout for this episode, and it will help explain things in more detail. Grab that below!
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the big idea
The big thing in creating new nourishing habits {or rhythms as I like to call them} is through the emotional connection. Because as we’ve been learning on this mindset series, our emotions control our actions.
We can “want” to make changes all day, maybe we even “need” to, but without the deep emotional commitment, it won’t last. It will always be the never-ending struggle and fight to overcome what you already are emotionally invested in – even if it’s not a good investment.
It’s all about our mindset and working with it rather than against it! If you haven’t been tuning into the mindset series, I’d suggest you go back and check out these posts to learn more.
- 5 Mindset Shifts to Change Your Health
- The Mind/Body Connection: How Your Thoughts Influence Your Health
- How To Get Rid of What’s Holding You Back
- Do Your Thoughts Influence Your Health
- Do You Have a Health Personality
creating healthy habits
Creating healthy habits isn’t just about stopping old ones. Because like anything, the more we focus on the bad, the harder it is to see the good. Rather than trying to eliminate bad habits focus on squeezing them out with the good? It is the same thing, with just a different approach.
Think about the good. Let yourself feel how it’s affecting you – like really feel it. Then continuously remind yourself of the positive emotion you have for doing the action. Change happens here, in the emotion of why. You have to let yourself feel it and then use it to see significant and lasting change.
Use this download to uncover the core of who you are. To know the inside so you can effectively change the outside using the model of behavior change.
the 3 emotional components to change
Once you know your core, your identity, your beliefs system you can start to make shifts in your own life by uncovering what is working and what isn’t using the three emotional components of change. Those three components are:
- emotional awareness
- emotional intelligence
- emotional fitness
emotional awareness
Awareness is always the first step to change. Understanding where you are and how you got here. I know it’s easy to skip over, especially in the world of hustle, busyness and focusing on the future. But unless we know where we are and why we’re here, it is difficult to connect the right emotions to change.
Yes, change happens in the present.
To become more emotionally aware look at your life, possible write down everything you do and think about why you do it. For instance, if you intend to wake up at 5:15 am to get a quick workout in before the day starts but hit snooze 9 times out of 10, ask yourself why?
If you never skip a workout, why? If you can’t look at a salad, why? If you want to change but you can’t skip the candy on your co-worker’s desk, why?
Look at the good, the bad and the ugly and make yourself emotionally aware. Know your triggers, what sets you off and where you reach for short-term convenience rather than long-term success.
Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is being aware of where you are and knowing those triggers. Understanding your day, how you move, work and what emotions trigger you back into old behaviors. Using this information, you can live your life in a proactive way rather than reactive.
It might even end the “I’ll start again on Monday” mindset.
But even more, this proactive mindset can help you to move in a positive direction. Using what your strengths, how you work well and what drives you and fills you with the passion for making massive changes in your own life.
Emotional Fitness
Finally, you have to practice it. Just like a muscle, we have to put into practice a positive mindset. We have to practice using our passions and purpose, and we have to practice using all of this to influence our behavior.
You may think it should come easy, and it will in time, but like anything good in life, it takes a little bit of work to get there. Whatever you’ve trained yourself to be, it will take training to transition that into a new way of being.
Be patient, keep working and practicing and remembering your why. Eventually, you will get there and step into a life true to you that comes with a little more ease.
start here
If nothing else, remember this, habits are based on emotions. Rather than forcing – or attempting to force – new habits into your life, start focusing on the positive. Think about one or two things you can add to your life that will benefit it. Keep focusing on the small stuff, the 1% and in time this will add up to great things.
Now I want to know, what are you going to add to your life? Leave a comment below and let me know! Focus on the good, not the bad and big things will change!
As I said inside the podcast, make it so easy you can’t say no!
Don’t forget to grab your free download and dive into this further!
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