Have you ever tried to cut a destructive habit out of your life? Stop smoking? Stop eating unhealthy food? Stop being negative? Stop procrastinating?
How about instead of trying to remove bad habits from your life you just focus on adding beneficial habits?
If you want to stop smoking, instead of focusing on the smoking, focus on spending 1 hour, then 1/2 a day, then 1 day without smoking. If you want to eat healthy, then focus on adding one healthy food to your diet each day, and then each meal, and then two healthy foods. If you want to stop being negative, add one positive thought per day, then one in the morning and one in the evening. If you want to stop procrastinating, then be on time for 1 meeting, then do it again.
Why does it matter if you focus on removing a destructive habit versus add beneficial habits? Have you seen any green monkeys today? Most likely, you were not thinking about green monkeys before you read that question were you? How about now, are you thinking about green monkeys? You see, even the mention of something has a strong impact on focusing your mind on that item.
If you are trying to stop a destructive habit, that means you must be continually thinking about that habit. The more you think about something the more likely it is to show up. Instead, focus you mind on adding beneficial habits and don't be too concerned about the destructive habit.
You only have 24 hours per day. If you focus on adding beneficial habits and release your hold on destructive habits, they will easily go away from your life.
I have applied this principal in my eating pattern. I used to love to eat tons of unhealthy food. I finally decided that I would eat more healthy. I had tried before without much success. What made it work this time, was I did not stop eating unhealthy food. Instead, I just focused on surrounding myself with healthy food and if I was hungry I would grab the healthy food. Of course, if I was hungry and there was no healthy food, I would eat what was available and then later figure out how I could have had more healthy food.
This was a gradual process and I never got upset if I ate unhealthy food because that wasn't my focus. I did not fail by eating unhealthy food because that wasn't part of my goal. My goal was to eat healthy food, so each time I ate healthy food, I felt a feeling of success and it was irrelevant the times that I ate unhealthy food.
Let's apply this same idea to any of your destructive habits. If you are a negative person, then try having one positive thought each day, and then one in the morning and the evening.
How about instead of trying to remove bad habits from your life you just focus on adding beneficial habits?
If you want to stop smoking, instead of focusing on the smoking, focus on spending 1 hour, then 1/2 a day, then 1 day without smoking. If you want to eat healthy, then focus on adding one healthy food to your diet each day, and then each meal, and then two healthy foods. If you want to stop being negative, add one positive thought per day, then one in the morning and one in the evening. If you want to stop procrastinating, then be on time for 1 meeting, then do it again.
Why does it matter if you focus on removing a destructive habit versus add beneficial habits? Have you seen any green monkeys today? Most likely, you were not thinking about green monkeys before you read that question were you? How about now, are you thinking about green monkeys? You see, even the mention of something has a strong impact on focusing your mind on that item.
If you are trying to stop a destructive habit, that means you must be continually thinking about that habit. The more you think about something the more likely it is to show up. Instead, focus you mind on adding beneficial habits and don't be too concerned about the destructive habit.
You only have 24 hours per day. If you focus on adding beneficial habits and release your hold on destructive habits, they will easily go away from your life.
I have applied this principal in my eating pattern. I used to love to eat tons of unhealthy food. I finally decided that I would eat more healthy. I had tried before without much success. What made it work this time, was I did not stop eating unhealthy food. Instead, I just focused on surrounding myself with healthy food and if I was hungry I would grab the healthy food. Of course, if I was hungry and there was no healthy food, I would eat what was available and then later figure out how I could have had more healthy food.
This was a gradual process and I never got upset if I ate unhealthy food because that wasn't my focus. I did not fail by eating unhealthy food because that wasn't part of my goal. My goal was to eat healthy food, so each time I ate healthy food, I felt a feeling of success and it was irrelevant the times that I ate unhealthy food.
Let's apply this same idea to any of your destructive habits. If you are a negative person, then try having one positive thought each day, and then one in the morning and the evening.
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