9 Ways to Successfully Create Good Habits and 5 Reasons Why You Fail At Breaking the Bad Ones

By Chelsea Lorynn O'Brien

9 Ways to Successfully Create New, Good Habits and the 5 Reasons Why You Fail At Breaking the Bad Ones

"Your net worth to the world is usually determined by what remains after your bad habits are subtracted from your good ones." - Benjamin Franklin

We all have habits. Some are good, healthy habits, while others are bad and possibly even dangerous. Throughout our lives we often set goals to try to create new, good habits or to break the bad ones we already possess. Many people try again and again to change their habits for the better only to meet with failure in the end. Learning a new habit can be just as difficult as breaking a bad one that you've struggled with for years. There are reasons for this and steps that you can take to help ensure your success.

Establishing good, healthy habits can enrich your life in countless ways. When an action becomes a habit, it becomes automatic and you don't really have to give it much thought. Some of the healthy habits that people try to develop include; eating healthier, exercising regularly, meditating, completing chores around the home, or simply taking time out daily for them-selves. These are just a few examples but, basically anything that you want to do on a regular basis that will enrich your life and make you happier can become a habit.

Here are nine, simple tips that are easy to follow and can help you to turn healthy activities into lifelong habits.

1. Take baby steps. - You cannot expect to just dive in and be successful when developing a good habit. Start with small manageable steps. If you would like to make healthy eating a habit, start by swapping out specific foods or meals for healthier options. If you make sudden, drastic changes to your lifestyle, the odds are good that you will not be successful.

2. Make yourself accountable. - Tell a friend or family member whose opinions matter to you. By telling a trusted friend or family member about your intension to develop a new habit you promote accountability. You will be more likely to stick to your habit if you know that you will have to answer to someone other than yourself.

3. Treat yourself. - You should be proud of the fact that you are trying to make positive changes in your life. Reward yourself regularly when you stick to your new habit. Treat yourself to a pedicure or a warm bubble bath. Spend a Saturday morning sleeping in, or play a few rounds of golf on the course. Whatever it is that you love... do it.

4. One habit at a time. - Work on developing one habit at a time. If you are anything like me, there are a ton of new, healthy habits that you want to incorporate into your life. Focus on one at a time so that you don't get overwhelmed. Developing a habit, like exercising regularly might seem like a small change but it's not. When you begin to develop a new habit of any kind you are changing the way that you live your life.

5. Make sure that you really want it. - The more you want to make even small changes, the more likely you will stick with them. Don't ever begin to develop a habit that you don't want just because you think, or have been told, that it's the right thing to do. If you try to force yourself to do something you hate, you will avoid it at all costs. If you hate going to the gym, don't do it. There are plenty of good habits that you can develop that will enrich your life and that you will enjoy.

6. Plan it out.- Sit down and make a list of the good habits you would like to develop. Prioritize the list and determine what habits you would like to develop first. Once you have this figured out, write out a plan. By putting this in writing you can refer back to it whenever you need a bit of extra motivation and it will help you stay on track.

7. Be very specific. - Don't just say, "I want to make it a habit to drink more water". Instead, say, "I want to begin drinking eight glasses of water each day". By being specific you know exactly what you have to do to develop your new habit and will not become overwhelmed. If you are too vague, you could easily rationalize that you drank more water today than yesterday, even if it wasn't your desired eight glasses.

8. Use tools. - Utilize every resource that you have at your disposal. You can make lists, journals, charts, spreadsheets... anything that will help you to keep track of your goals. I often use sticky notes around the house. I will place reminders on walls, mirrors, the refrigerator, and anywhere else that I think they may be helpful. They may not look pretty but they help me to stay motivated.

9. Don't berate yourself for slip-us. - We all slip up from time to time. Just yesterday, I was snacking on a few potato chips while watching television. Before I knew it, the entire bag was empty! It happens to everyone. Realize this, and don't be too hard on yourself. Remind yourself of why you wanted to develop the habit in the first place, and then start again

"A man who can't bear to share his habits is a man who needs to quit them." - Stephen King, The Dark Tower

Why is it so difficult to break bad habits? There are things we do on a daily, or even hourly basis that we know aren't good for us. We bite our fingernails, smoke cigarettes, make unhealthy food choices, procrastinate, lead sedentary lives, etc. Every one of us has a bad habit that we would love to break, but we often have difficulty doing so. This is because, once a habit is developed, we rarely even notice we are doing it. It becomes part of who we are. If we want to improve our lives, breaking bad habits is a wonderful place to start.

Here are 5 common reasons why we often fail at breaking bad habits.

1. We expect results too quickly. - We didn't develop our bad habit in one day, and we certainly can't expect to break it in one day either. Breaking a habit takes time. We must be patient and persistent in our goals.

2. We have a low level of self-awareness. - I have been a nail biter for the majority of my life. I do it without even thinking and am usually not even aware that I have been chewing on them until I feel pain or see blood. This is because I am not always self-aware. We often go through life on autopilot, but when we are trying to break a habit, we need to slow down and pay attention to everything we are doing. We must make an attempt to really live in the moment. If we develop a stronger sense of self-awareness, we can head off our bad habits as soon as we begin doing them.

3. We use our habits as an emotional crutch. - Many of our habits, like smoking or turning to food when we are in need of comfort, serve as a coping mechanism for emotional stress or pain. We need to look for other, healthier substitutes for these habits. When I was trying to quit smoking, I would often exercise whenever I would feel an urge. The exercise took my mind off of my immediate craving and helped me to relieve my stress in a healthy way.

4. We don't tell anyone we are trying to break our habit. - Breaking a bad habit is extremely difficult. It is even more difficult when we do not have the support of our friends and family. We often fail to tell them out of fear. We think that by not telling them, we can avoid disappointing them if we fail. In order to successfully break a bad habit we must tell those we love and trust. They will give us the support we need and they will also make us accountable for our actions.

5. We are too hard on ourselves when we slip back into old patterns. - Just as developing new habits is hard, breaking old ones is extremely difficult. We will all slip up from time to time. We must stay positive and remember why we want to break our habits. Do you want to be a better role model for your children? Do you want to avoid a second heart attack? Do you want your nails to be beautiful for your wedding day? Whatever your motivation is, remember, there is a very good reason why you decided to break your bad habit in the first place. When we slip up and fall back into our bad patterns, we must take a moment to remember why it is important to break the habit. Then, we must start again.

I hope that these tips will help you to feel guided in having motivation to break habits you're not happy about or develop new ones you're proud of.

"Successful people are simply those with successful habits." -Brian Tracy

Written by Chelsea O'Brien, author of "I Eat Weird" and founder of BingeEatingBreakthrough.com. Discovering how to stop binge eating has shifted her life in a whole new direction. Her counter-intuitive approach has inspired many others that feel unhappy with their bodies and eating. Download her free "Breakthrough Binge Eating" video course at www.bingeeatingbreakthrough.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Chelsea_Lorynn_O'Brien/1418064

6 Ways to Change Your Attitude and Change Your Life

By Amod Joshi

We have heard it all the time - "If you change your attitude, you can do much better". Even in school the teachers say - "If you change your attitude, you will get good marks". At work, the boss say - "If you just change your attitude, you will go so far". When the employers are looking to hire people, they are looking for the right attitude. Why is it, that Attitude is so important? What do we really mean by Attitude? And how do we change our Attitude to get better things in our life?

Earl Nightingale, the famous motivational speaker and also known as the "Dean of Personal Development", had called Attitude as the Magic word. He explains in his landmark program Lead the Field, that our Attitude towards the Life determines the Life's Attitude towards us. The Law of Cause and Effect states that every cause has an effect or the result. So if have a poor attitude, we will get poor results. The poor results will reinforce the poor attitude and we get more and more such poor results. On the contrary, if we have a good attitude, we get good results and so does every successful person around us - because they have a good attitude. What we receive from Life, what we accomplish or fail to accomplish is due to our own Attitude.

Napoleon Hill, the famous author of "Think and Grow Rich", once asked Andrew Carnegie, a billionaire from 19th century - "Why is that he is earning so much money, while there are so many people struggling to just get by". Andrew Carnegie replied that it was an Attitude thing that separated him from the masses. He demanded Riches in definite terms, he had a plan to acquire that riches and he executed this plan.

While the Dictionary meaning of Attitude is - manner, disposition, feeling, position, etc., with regard to a person or thing; tendency or orientation, especially of the mind; I like the way Bob Proctor explains Attitude - "Your attitude is the composite of your thoughts, feelings and actions, which in turn produces your results". Now, if you are anything like me, you would read this over and over. Attitude is a composite of Thoughts, Feelings and Actions. When we meet a very nice person, we do not say - "Hey, I like your Thoughts" or "I like that way you feel about life" or "I like the various Actions you take". We just say - "I like your Attitude". As it was explained in the dictionary meaning as well, Attitude is the orientation of the mind. All Thoughts originate in your mind. The Thought causes the Feeling and Feelings provoke you to take Action. Action causes a Reaction / Result. Hence your Attitude has the roots that go deep inside your mind. To change your Attitude, you must begin by changing your Thoughts. 

William James once said - "The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind."

Hence, to have a good Attitude, we must have good thoughts - good thoughts about ourselves, good thoughts about others, and good thoughts irrespective of the circumstances. Attitude is the reflection of a person - What goes inside, shows outside. If we are not good to ourselves and we doubt our capability, we fear to take action and we keep thinking others can achieve but we cannot, we will always have poor thoughts and result in poor attitude. Also, if we think bad about others and find faults in them, we will be generating bad thoughts and as an effect will experience bad results ourselves. These are some of the key things to remember about Attitude:-

- Attitude will determine the Results we get in our Life. Bad Attitude - Bad Results, Good Attitude - Great Results.
- Attitude towards others, will determine their attitude towards us.
- In order to improve our Attitude, we must Think, Act and Talk in the manner as if we already are in possession of the good that we desire.
- Attitude is not a result of Success, it is Success with is a result of good Attitude.

Since our mind can hold 1 thought at a time, we must think constructive thoughts. We can master this by patiently creating a new habit of thinking positive thoughts. Each time we notice ourselves thinking a negative thought or talking with anyone on a negative topic, we should replace it by a positive one. We may be able to do this only 5% of the time and gradually increasing it to 10%, 30%, 70%, 90% and then it would have become a habit.

Here are some simple steps that can develop a good attitude:

1. Understand that we are powerful being and there is tremendous potential and talent within each one of us.
2. Do not waste time in thinking poor thoughts.
3. Look for the best in others. Even if you are upset with him / her, think about 1 thing that is good in them and keep thinking about that thing.
4. Radiate a wellbeing attitude
5. Treat everyone you come in contact with as an important person
6. Last but not least, be alter of new ideas that will flow into you and act on them. 

We are in charge of the Attitude ("Cause"), the Rewards ("Effect") will take care of themselves. Success can be guaranteed, if we live in a Certain Way.

May you find the success, happiness and peace you deserve!

We are in charge of the Attitude, the Rewards will take care of themselves. Success can be guaranteed, if we live in a Certain Way. Live in a certain way we have to think in a certain way, there is an exact science of become successful. Let the Masters - Bob Proctor, Jack Canfield & Michael Beckwith, unleash the tremendous power within you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Amod_Joshi/1263958

Attitude Is a Big Deal

By Edison D Bynoe

Attitude has been defined as, "A predisposition or a tendency to respond positively or negatively towards a certain idea, object, person, or situation. Attitude influences an individual's choice of action, and responses to challenges, incentives, and rewards (together called stimuli) - Businessdictionary.com. The site adds that there are four major components of attitude which are "(1) Affective: emotions or feelings. (2) Cognitive: belief or opinions held consciously. (3) Conative: inclination for action. (4) Evaluative: positive or negative response to stimuli." There are essentially two attitudes that persons can have: a good attitude or a bad attitude. There is a misconception in some organizations that the only thing that matters to work success is persons' ability to get the job done. This view does not understand the critical importance of workers having the right attitude.

A bad attitude is responding badly or negatively to something or someone; it involves thinking negatively. How are bad attitudes developed? Bad attitudes develop when people allow themselves to become proud. Pride causes people to have an overinflated opinion of themselves while seeing others as inferior. Pride inevitably leads to a lack of love and respect for others. Proud people also think that they are larger than the organization or the common good. They believe that they are indispensable to the organization, and that they are superior in the execution of their tasks.

Bad attitudes may also be due to improper training. Human Resource managers have begun to recognize the necessity of training to achieving and maintaining competitive advantage. Greater priority is being placed on customer service, which requires workers to have a good attitude to the company, to their coworkers and to the customers. When workers are not trained to prioritize these three areas, as well as be held accountable for them, they are more likely to develop bad attitudes. 

Bad attitudes often come about because of a negative home environment. Many families today are dysfunctional. The product is dysfunctional individuals who are filled with negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, stress and bitterness and who are unable to relate well to people. Homes are characterized by separation and divorce. These do not simply have a traumatic effect on children but also affect the spouses themselves. Families are also characterized by various forms of abuse: physical, verbal, sexual and emotional. There is typically a lack of healthy communication and a lack of healthy core values. It is no wonder then, that when people come into the workforce, they are unable to function effectively. The situation will soon reach a point where companies will have to hire mental and counseling professionals to deal with this deteriorating problem.

Regardless of the source of bad attitudes, all organizations need people with good attitudes. Persons must first have a good attitude toward themselves. Self-love is not the same as narcissism. Persons who love themselves treat themselves with respect and see themselves as persons of value and importance. It is impossible to have a genuinely good attitude to others when you lack a good attitude toward yourself. Further, persons must have a good attitude to others - to their superiors, their subordinates, their coworkers and to the customers. Persons must have a good attitude to their task. They must recognize the importance of the task to the success of the organization. They must be faithful to the task and always look for ways to improve. Persons must also have a good attitude to the organization. If you are dissatisfied with the organization and nothing is changing for the better than the best thing to do is leave. The rule of thumb is like the place where you work or you will be a miserable person throughout your life.

There are a number of positive things that happen when persons have good attitudes. One of the results is better work relationships. People are more willing to cooperate with each other. They tend to work as a team creating an environment of synergy. People look out for each other and spur one another on to better performance. A natural outcome is increased productivity as persons are not carrying around emotional baggage. People are also more focused. Better relationships mean better communication and cooperation, which lead to innovation and problem solving. Persons with good attitudes motivate others.

However, there are a number of negative things that result when an organization has persons with negative attitudes. One of these is low morale: persons are simply not motivated to perform at their best. This inevitably leads to low productivity; in some cases, productivity may simply be below what the organization is truly capable of producing. Bad attitudes result in conflict and division. Persons with bad attitudes are difficult to get along with. They could be too passive, unwilling to do what needs to be done. They can be aggressive, like corporate bullies. Or, they can be passive-aggressive, quietly working behind the scenes to frustrate progress. When persons with bad attitudes are not dealt with, affected persons begin to lose confidence in the leader. They expect the leader to do something and they are frustrated when nothing is done even though everyone knows who the problem person is.

Speaking of leadership, what do you do with people with a bad attitude? Early intervention is important; a classic mistake is to wait until too much damage has been done. Leaders can talk to persons with bad attitudes to assess the root of the problem. The problem may be quite fixable if leaders are willing to deal with it. Leaders can train persons to think differently and to maximize their abilities for the advancing of the organization; mentoring and coaching can help. A proper assessment of individuals may reveal that they are working in the wrong area: a simple transfer, then, may fix the problem. In worst case scenarios, when everything has been tried and has failed, the only other solution is to terminate persons with bad attitudes. Persons with negative attitudes will destroy what leaders are working to accomplish.

There are several right attitudes that should be encouraged. Here are a few. Organizations need persons with a can do attitude. These are individuals who are proactive and are committed to getting things done. There is also a need for persons with a sharing attitude - those who are committed to partnership rather than just working on their own. Greater results are achieved when we work with others. Organizations need persons with a people attitude, persons who have a genuine concern for others. Charitable organizations need persons with a reverent attitude - those who have respect for God and His work. Any organization that is progressive needs persons with an open attitude - those who are open to change. Finally, organizations need persons with a humble/learning attitude - people who are willing to learn. This has to do with the concept of constant improvement.

Let's look at some ways that can help in developing a good attitude. If you have a bad attitude, then you must recognize that you have a bad attitude. I think there will be sufficient clues to let you know that you have a bad attitude! You must not see yourself as indispensable to the organization. This is not to say that you aren't important, but that you must not be so proud to think that you can't be replaced; a little humility goes a long way. Further, practice the Golden Rule - do you want others to treat you the same way you treat others? If not, then treat others with respect and don't do to them what you don't want them to do to you. Further, see the bigger picture - it's not all about you; the organization exists for a reason. Do you know the organization's mission statement? Christians need to cultivate the fruit of the Holy Spirit: these include such qualities as love, joy and peace. Further, see your work/service/ministry as unto God. Finally, deal with the demons of your past - those unresolved issues that block you from having a good attitude. There are mental health professionals and religious ministers who can assist in this area.

Leaders need to recruit people with good attitudes who are talented, not people that are talented with bad attitudes. Sometimes desperation can cause us to use people with poor attitudes. We must always remember that character is more important than talent alone. Bad attitudes will have a detrimental effect on an organization. Good attitudes will have a positive effect.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Edison_D_Bynoe/1404290