Blog Category: Habits
“Habitual” Thinking Versus Objective Thinking
Habits are simply patterns of behavior that occur almost without thinking . . . kind of like living on automatic pilot.
We conclude this week’s conversation about changing habits with thoughts on habitual thinking – i.e., pre-existing assumptions, perceptions, and attitudes.
Can you think of any situation or person where you have had a limiting point of view . . . a set of old assumptions . . . the flavor of “you know how they are”?
Habitually assuming based on old perceptions is an opportunity to shift to fresh, objective thinking.
Try to open your mind to the reality that situations and people actually can change for the better. Don’t limit this “new thinking” to others . . . give yourself a break, too, and examine outdated habitual ways of thinking about yourself.
Consider the implications of an old Spanish proverb: “Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.” If that’s so, then make them GREAT HABITS.
Copyright E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.
From Habit to Ruling Reality
The conventional wisdom is that it takes 21 consecutive days to change a habit . . . and the point is that sufficient time is needed to turn an idea into the ruling reality.
Here’s what I’ve seen work:
* Make a tracking chart and post it somewhere visible;
* Include the benefits of the change in the chart with both words and images;
* Track it with someone else who genuinely supports you with no judgment.
We’ve also used the game of starting over at Day 1 if there is a day when the new habit is not followed. This is a very effective results strategy because, if you’re really honest, you’ll find that eventually you will have 21 consecutive days under your belt.
What habit would you like to put in place over 21 days? To whom would you make it known? What are the benefits of that change?
Don’t just read this!!! CHANGE A HABIT FOR THE BETTER!!!
Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.
Having Fun While Changing A Habit
I used to have a fondness for chocolate-covered doughnuts. Think Homer Simpson. That “fondness” developed into a habit of once a week indulging myself with two doughnuts . . . after which I’d feel terrible both mentally and physically.
One day, I went from the doughnut store to my office and promised my assistant, Marge, that if I ever ate doughnuts again, I would pay her $1 per doughnut. Being accountable to Marge helped me change that minor doughnut habit. It wasn’t the money . . . it was the consequence. Marge made no money on that deal, and it didn’t cost me a dime.
What habit could be made into a game like this where you could be supported by someone in your life? Can you think of a way that changing a habit can be FUN? Who would be a great person to engage in this kind of playful way of changing a habit?
Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.
“Changing” Habits versus “Breaking” Habits
You may prefer the phrase “changing habits” to the implications of “breaking habits” because experience teaches that it is far more powerful to be in favor of something than to be against it. “Changing” may be more powerful than “breaking.”
Consider how it feels to say, “I’m changing my habit of eating sweets to habits of eating that are consistent with vital health.” We don’t have to think of a habit as something to be judged – just something that perhaps has outlived its perceived usefulness.
Unthinking habitual behavior is not based in freedom, and often we don’t recognize that we have been in a rut.
Consider the perception “I choose conscious habits” over “I have to break my bad habits.”
How would it feel to develop habits consistent with freedom rather than feeling compelled to indulge in behaviors that no longer serve us? Where in your life do you most desire freedom from old habits? What habits could you be in favor of that would replace old, restricting habits?
Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.
The Competition Between Good and Bad Habits
“Habit” is defined as “A recurrent, often unconscious pattern of behavior that is acquired through frequent repetition.”
Good habits and bad habits compete with each other, and often the process of changing habits has been invisible to us. We have felt the effects of bad habits without realizing that we have a great deal of control over them.
It is said that “Bad habits are like a comfortable bed . . . easy to get into, but hard to get out of.”
The first step toward changing habits is to be fully aware of what they are. Write down your good and bad habits. Think about which ones you’d like to keep and which ones you’d like to change.
How have you changed habits in the past? What strategies have worked for you? Which habits, if changed, would have the most positive effect on your life?
Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.