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Each of our days includes a couple of dozen repetitive actions. Some call them habits, some call them rituals. Sometimes they literally pull back, making it difficult to succeed. Entrepreneur and business coach Jonathan Chow picked five of these habits. We are sure that you will find at least one of them, and most importantly, you will learn how to say goodbye to them.
Personal growth coach Tony Robbins is sure that there are two answers to the question why we do what we do: a) to avoid pain/suffering; b) to enjoy.
Only these two reasons influence decision making. Ask yourself the question: why didn’t you go for a run today? Why did you eat chocolate cake? Why stay up at work until midnight? For one of these two reasons. They affect and change your life.
Under their influence, you develop habits that gradually wedged into the daily routine, changing it for the worse. If you’re not careful, these bad habits will suck the life out of you.
1. The habit of not keeping promises
Many do what they promised to others, but for some reason do not keep their word to themselves. We promise ourselves to play sports, eat right, go to the doctor, change jobs and enroll in foreign language courses. At the moment of making this decision, we feel emotional relief, but then we gradually abandon the goal. We get used to it and lose control over our own decisions.
A good way to break this habit is to promise yourself a reward for reaching your goal. For example, you want to buy a new bag and you can do it right now. But better give yourself this gift when you start running in the morning.
2. The habit of setting the alarm
By doing this action and gaining 10 minutes of sleep that will not benefit you, you lose the first battle of the day. Thus dooming yourself to defeat by the evening.
Instead of empty regrets that won’t change anything, focus on the present.
Morning is the most productive part of the day. A long sleep does not energize, but deprives it. Rather, think about how many useful things you can do by getting up an hour or two earlier. You will have time to meditate, cook a healthy lunch, go to a foreign language class or a driving course. In the end, you will be able to get to work without stress and hassle.
3. The habit of surfing the Internet before bed
Which of us, having decided to check the social networks at night looking, did not later find out that it was already two hours on the clock? Hanging on the Web at night does not bring emotional or psychological benefits. Moreover, it is harmful to health. The glow of the screen interferes with the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, which can lead to insomnia and vision problems. And chronic lack of sleep leads to overeating and, as a result, to being overweight.
If you want to read at night, take a book or magazine. But try not to spend more than an hour on this activity: good sleep is the most important thing.
4. The habit of regretting the past
Everyone sometimes regrets what they once did or did not do. Sometimes we even fantasize about what the present would be like if we had acted differently then. But you can’t get carried away with it. How we perceive and analyze our own actions affects the future.
In pursuit of ghostly goals, you must not forget to devote time to yourself, to do what you want
You can’t dwell on a key life moment or endlessly blame yourself for one oversight.
- Thinking “I should have done it differently…” you blame yourself for something that didn’t go according to plan.
- Thinking “I could do this…”, you blame yourself for missed opportunities.
- Thinking “I should have guessed…”, you blame yourself for the lack of knowledge and experience that could have corrected the situation.
Instead of empty regrets that won’t change anything, focus on the present. And if the memories still disturb, tell yourself: “Next time I will definitely do it differently!”
5. The habit of saying yes
Modern society is suffering from an epidemic of fear of missed opportunities. We want to be in time everywhere: check in at trendy places, check in at a new restaurant, go to a popular performance – and at the same time be the best parents and irreplaceable employees. We look to friends on social networks and strive to become as successful as they are. We are afraid of missing something important and therefore often agree to do something without being sure of the correctness of the decision.
Take part in a new project? Yes! Run a marathon for company? Yes! Go shopping on the weekend? Yes! How to do all this and not go crazy?
In this pursuit of ghostly goals, you must not forget to devote time to yourself. Do what you want, even if it is not fashionable or popular. Of course, this does not mean that you need to stay at home all the time. You just need to prioritize correctly and do not forget what is important for you, for your happiness. Always ask yourself if you want to visit this restaurant, run a marathon, or if you want to stay home and bake an apple pie.
About the Developer
Jonathan Chow – Entrepreneur and business coach. His .