And today we're diving into a topic that affects us all Breaking out of bad habits . We'll explore strategies and insights to help you ditch those habits that no longer serve you . So let's get started on the path to a positive change .
I'm going to share with you eight strategies that I believe are important for you to create positive change as it pertains to habits . Number one is you have to understand the psychology of habits , how to break free from bad habits . It's crucial to understand how they work . Habits are formed through a loop of cue , routine and reward .
Recognizing the triggers and rewards of your bad habits is the first step towards change . So I started a bad habit when I was in high school to smoke cigarettes because everyone else was doing it .
Horrible habit , terrible for my health , and what I would find was that in those ensuing years when I was smoking cigarettes , I would find that it was because I was bored or someone else lit up a cigarette and I wanted to get , wanted to smoke a cigarette with them .
It was a form of bonding that was my trigger when I was bored , or someone else around me or I was hanging out with my boys and we were drinking and someone pulled out a cigarette , and it was just a cool thing to do . Figure out what your triggers are for your habits that you want to change . Understand your psychology of your habits .
Number two setting clear and specific goals . Clearly define the habit you want to break and set specific goals for change . These goals should be realistic , achievable and time . Bound . Having a clear target gives you direction and motivation .
There's a great book out there called the Compound Effect and this book talks about when you do certain things over a certain period of times . They compound and they give you results over the long haul of time . Number three replacing bad habits with good ones . It's often easier to replace a bad habit with a good one than to simply eliminate it .
Identify a positive habit that can serve as a substitute and focus on cultivating it . This can help fill the void left by the bad habit . I sat a friend the other day I was talking to and I was telling him , said hey , I'm going to be looking to hire for this person in my company .
My friend , in my eyes , is significantly more successful than I am as an investor . He asked me one question and he said okay , great , you're going to hire this person to do this for you . What are you going to do with your time ? That was a powerful question . He said what are you going to do with your time that you're going to gain from that hire ?
This goes right into replacing bad habits with good ones . He made me think . He really pushed me to think okay , great , yes , when I get this person and I hire this person for this position , I will now focus my time on doing the things that are important to me to continue to grow the business .
How are you going to replace the time that you're spending with the habit that you want to change ? What are you going to replace it with ? It's the simplest way I can put it . Number four practicing mindfulness and self-awareness . I can't overemphasize it how mindfulness , how meditation for me , has done wonders in my life , and there's different ways to meditate .
Guys , I'm not a meditation pusher here . I'm not trying to push meditation , but I can just share from my experience of what is done for me . It really has helped me become more self-aware . Mindfulness and self-awareness are powerful tools for breaking bad habits . Pay attention to the triggers and cravings that lead to your bad habit .
By being mindful of these moments , you can interrupt the habit loop and make conscious choices . Again , one thing that has helped me tremendously and I don't have it all figured out , I'm not saying I do . What I'm saying is I'm getting better and better every day and every way , as you should too . That's my mantra .
Number five seek support and accountability , and this is important Having accountability and support . This is extremely important for success . This is why the most successful people have coaches and mentors . This is why they want support and they want accountability Someone to hold them accountable to their goals .
Breaking bad habits can be challenging , and you don't have to go at it alone . Seek support from friends , family and support groups . Accountability partners can provide encouragement and help you stay on track . Number six learn from relapse . You're a human being experiencing a human experience , which means you're not perfect , and neither am I .
It's common to experience relapse when trying to break a bad habit . Instead of seeing them as failures , view them as opportunities for learning and growth . Analyze what triggered the relapse and just adjust your strategy accordingly .
I heard a pastor once say if you're an alcoholic , if you're a recovering alcoholic and you've turned to the church and now you're men of God , you don't go to a bar to try to convert people to follow Jesus in a bar . That's not what you do . That's going to tempt you into relapsing , into drinking again .
So look , adjust , learn from your relapse and see what you did or what triggered it or what environment you put yourself in so you can avoid those environments at all costs . Number seven visualize your success . Visualization is extremely important for success . Visualization is a powerful technique for change .
Imagine yourself free from the bad habit and experiencing the positive impact your life will have once that bad habit is gone . Visualization can strengthen your determination and motivation . This is part of my morning ritual , is visualization for my goals and the things that I want .
That's something I learned from a lot of significantly more successful people than me , and this is what they do , and I like to model success . This is a powerful , powerful tool . It's visualization . Number eight and the final one is celebrate your small wins . Celebrate your process along the way .
So , if you're going to quit smoking , for instance , you need to start identifying as a non-smoker . Identifying your language needs to change . So , do you smoke ? Nope , I'm not a smoker anymore , I'm a non-smoker . Your language matters . Celebrate your wins . Boom One day . Yes , I went today . One day without a cigarette . What did I do today ?
What were the things that I analyzed One week without a cigarette ? What were the things that I did ? How did I do that ? How can I do more of it ? What did I do when I wanted to get a craving for it , for that cigarette , and I didn't go for it ? Start taking notes of those things and celebrate them .
Celebrate your wins , because they accumulate over time , they compound over time and , before you know it , your habit is broken , just like that . Breaking a bad habit is a journey , and recognizing and celebrating your small victories can boost your confidence and keep you motivated .
I hope that this is exactly what you needed to hear today and that this impacts you and your life in a positive way . Until next time , stay committed to breaking free from what holds you back . Peace out .