Habits. Good habits, bad habits they are all the same. They are a comfortable way of doing things whether they are good for you or not. Everyone has them. Everyone has ways of either acknowledging them or ignoring them. They are still our habits.
Changing them, now that can be tricky. Take for example smoking cigarettes, which I used to do btw and am not criticizing anyone for having this habit. Ok, cigs...when I quit smoking it was not too hard. I was pregnant with our first daughter so I had a good reason to make that change. Even though the reason was there, so was the need to find another way to fill the void of not smoking. Where there was a habit, another one had to replace it. I started chewing gum to get through it. For me it worked but everyone is different.
Do you have a habit that you are ready to change? Maybe smoking, maybe sarcasm, maybe negativity...What do you feel is holding you back from making the habit change? And would knowing another, better habit help to move you in that direction?
Funny but true story. With five kids comes many punishments over the years. We have tried a lot of ways to redirect these kiddies, and finally found one that works nicely. Sentences. It sounds like prison but only is for them. My kids have written THOUSANDS of sentences, probably tens of thousands. Get sassy mouthed with Mom, you get to write sentences. Keep talking back after that? More sentences. Hit your sister? You get to write sentences...see how it works? Actually, there are only two rules in our home. Be kind, and be safe. EVERYTHING falls under this, so give it a try. Back up just a bit, and see how this works. Hit your sister? That is not kind. You are writing 100 sentences. They are to be used to redirect in a positive way. Write " I will be kind to my sister" which is the behavior Mom wanted in the first place.
What does this have to do with habits? Its simple...they are practicing the right way. Oh, the bonus is that you are out of the picture. If they take all day complaining, it is up to them. If they write fast, that is up to them. I just need to be able to read the sentences, and they have to write them complete one at a time. None of this I I I I I Will Will Will Will Will down the paper sides. It is one full sentence at a time.
Reinforce the behavior you want to change today. Think about it and pick something small to practice. You can do it. Give yourself a chance, and try it out. What have you got to lose besides a habit you did not want anyway? Write it out if you need too, and put it up in front of you to remember where your focus is.
Todays quote:
Your desired behavior must become just as much a habit as your undesired behavior was before.
Mike Hawkins
Mike Hawkins
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