#009 - Bad Habits. Six Strategies on How to Break them

No one likes a Bad Habit, whether it's smoking, procrastination or drinking too much wine - we all have something we want to change and the good news is that it only take a few small steps to make that change for the better.  In fact a 1% change is all it takes! So if you want to change something; 1. Do it now.  Strike while the iron is hot.  If you want to stop smoking, decide today, right now, that you're stopping.  What can you do immediately?  If you want to Thank someone for doing something for you, send them a text now. Pick up the 'phone now and call them.  If you don't, you will probably remember in a week or so and by then it's too late...so whatever it is...do it now. 2. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink right? Well you can if you add salt to the horse's oats! What Positive or Negative actions can make you do something? Positive action on going to the gym might be to leave your gym bag right in front of your door so you have to step over it to get out. Or better still, leave your work clothes IN the gym locker so you have to go there to get them. Negative actions include (if you want to give up smoking) stop putting them in your mount and stop buying cigarettes! Simply stop buying the things that form part of your habit. Don't want to drink at home? Stop buying beer or wine or anything that you want to stop drinking. You could always leave your corkscrews in the car or garden so that you have to go and get them. 3.  Coffee shops know that you can be tempted to buy more.  They put big food items at the front of the shop and gradually smaller ones as you get to the checkout. They want you to reward yourself with a cake or a small chocolate. Beware of rewarding yourself for things you haven't done. 4. Create a new tradition.  Everyone remembers Christmas and every year it happens.  We travel to meet family and we eat together.  It's all part of the bonds that keep a family together.  But what about old friends? Create your own traditions to keep in touch with old friends, for example, you could arrange to meet up on Easter Monday every year. You could agree to meet up in the first weekend of September every year to go to a show or the first Sunday of the month.  Create your own tradition. 5. If you want to break a bad habit, use the Good.Bad. Good. Bad strategy. So before you drink coffee or wine, drink a glass of water.  That way if you have three glasses of wine, you will have had 3 glasses of water. Before you eat a biscuit, eat an apple. What can you do in your life using the good, bad, good bad strategy? and finally 6. Pain and Public humiliation. There must be consequences and pain for you if you fail. What pain can you create? If you're setting a goal to lose 10 pounds of weight in a month, then give a chunk of money in a sealed envelope today to a friend - $100 or $200 or whatever would be a painful amount for you. Weigh yourself. Both of you note down the weight and both of you note the target weight and date. In one month, if you fail to hit the target, your friend posts the money to a cause you dislike (or hate) or buys a ticket to a rival sports team or makes you wear a rival sports team jersey for a week at work! There is a great website that can help with this called www.Stickk.com They allow you to nominate a cause and nominate a referee (someone who knows you and knows your target) You set a date, pay an amount and if you fail to achieve your target, your referee can send the money to the despised cause, or if you hit your target, they send it back to you.<