Stop KILLING Yourself: 5 Steps to Breaking Self Sabotaging Habits in 2015

Have you seen the latest Quit Smoking commercials? They are pretty dramatic to say the least. For some reason an elderly lady speaking into an artificial speech aid with a sizeable hole in her throat is pretty creepy to me. That’s the point right? After viewing these commercials I’m usually left with the thought “who would continue to smoke after watching this”? Well, countless people will continue to smoke even after watching something so dramatic.

This post is not about helping you to quit smoking, but it is about a very real human tendency and it’s affect on your life’s outcome. What is this tendency? It is a tendency of continuing to do something that you know will harm you despite of the repercussions. You may not be an excessive smoker, but I can almost guarantee that there has been or is something that you continue to do that harms your dreams, finances, health, development or overall life.

Why we continue in self-sabotaging habits is a discussion within itself. The question I’d like to explore is how can we overcome these areas. Having overcome my fair share of self-sabotaging habits and having read extensively on the subject, below I share sure-fire steps to beginning the process of creating new and better personal habits, habits that serve you and not enslave you.

The great news is that if you’re still alive, there is still time to make some changes. That is if you’re able to endure the process.

1. Build your desire for better. Without a desire to create better habits, you will probably never have the stick-to-itiveness it takes to create them. Sure, you may say that you want to but is it a true desire? There’s a big difference between “wanting” to do something and having such a desire for something that it cause you to change. The great news is that desire can be built. Here are two ways how:
a. Determine WHY. Our decision making is ran by reasons. If we don’t have clear reasons on why we’d like to do something we won’t do it. The clearer and more concise you are on your reason to change, the more likely you are to stay the course.
b. See yourself Successful. Once you’ve written your reasons, now is time to see yourself in your new habit. Take time to visualize yourself in your newly formed habit on a consistent basis. This will go a long way in helping you create both desire and belief.

2. Decide you will never give up. I’d love to tell you that once you begin your process of change, all things will begin to align themselves perfectly and you will break your old habits overnight. Sure, some of us may have this experience. Yet, for some it may be the complete opposite. This is why the initial decision to persevere through the pain of change is critical.

Forewarned is forearmed! Although you shouldn’t expect it, there’s a possibility that you will revert back to your bad habit throughout the process, particularly early on. If this happens, you will likely feel critical and down on yourself. If it happens several times, you may want to give up. The perfect way to fail proof your process is to decide that you will never give up.

3. Believe. For years I struggled with waking up in the morning on time. If you’ve never experienced this habit, you may be thinking “tough luck”, “so what”. As anyone with a bad habit, I can convince you that it was much worse than it seems. Waking up late not only affected my confidence but also would change the course of my day. Not because I didn’t have time to plan or ran late but because my body and mind was usually inoperable. My mind would often be so foggy and unclear that I couldn’t focus for an extended period.

I went back and forth on this habit. Some weeks I’d win, some weeks I’d loose. When I lost, it felt terrible. I’d usually mutter to myself “there’s no luck”, “this is just who I am”, “ there’s no use in trying” and other negative self talk. What I really was saying is that I don’t believe. Once you loose belief in yourself and in your ability to change, the entire battle is over. Maintain and build your belief and the battle is won.

4. Focus on Creating. If you’ve noticed, I’ve shied away from using “breaking habits” alone. I believe that if you place all of your focus on breaking the bad without attention to the good, breaking the bad becomes a lot harder. For every bad habit to break there’s a new habit to create. The more focus you can place on creating the new habits the better.

5. Celebrate and reward your success. If you’ve struggled with a bad habit for an extended period of time, each and every success of creating a new habit is worthy of celebration. Always take time to celebrate your positive steps toward change. Celebrating and rewarding yourself in the process will fuel your desire.

You are on your way my friend! Let’s make 2015 the year of walking away from the things that has held us back for so long! If any of the steps above were helpful for you as they were for me, I’m glad to have been of service. I believe that you can change, create, and be the person that you always knew you could be. There’s so much on the line for you to be your ultimate self. Take action today! Feel free to share any comments or questions below.