This is a practical exercise that you can implement NOW and for the rest of your life.
Choose one habit that you determine is not beneficial or a hindrance to reaching your goals. Be sure that you have a goal in mind prior to doing this exercise.
If you would like assistance with goal creation and goal attainment, you can check out my Goal Creation Exercise at Premierconsulting.biz
Take the one habit that you’ve identified and stop doing it (cold turkey method) or severely reduce the frequency of or amount of time engaging in it.
For example, say you’ve recognized that you have the habit of scrolling through your phone for an excessive amount of time each day. Make a promise to yourself to limit, reduce or completely eliminate the habit.
You can check your phone usage time and reduce it to a comfortable level. For example, say you’re up to 6 hours a day in phone usage, start with reducing it to 5 hours or less.
Ensure that when you are using it, the reason is a pre-determined reason. Ideally to assist you in goal attainment.
Eliminate the wasteful time spent scrolling aimlessly at things that you probably don’t want to see, hear or read about.
Only YOU know what’s constructive, beneficial or helps you to feel better and will help you reach your goals quicker. You also are the only one who knows what things are a hindrance to taking action and prevent you from getting you to where you want to be.
Invest your time constructively in everything you do. When you invest in yourself and your goals, you get great returns.
Habits CAN be changed. You’ve previously put time into creating the destructive habit patterns that weren’t serving you, but now you have the awareness and the power to change the habit into a helpful, constructive, useful habit by investing time, focus and energy into it.
What you gain from the habit of self-discipline far exceeds anything that you think you may be missing out on by not staying disciplined.
Self-discipline isn’t meant to be a punishment and it’s not something that you have to force upon yourself. You integrate self-discipline AS you are achieving your goals.
The ability and power to create your own life and think your own thoughts is one of the most wonderful gifts that we’ve been given.
There’s a great big world out there just waiting for you to experience, appreciate and enjoy. It’s available to all of us if we’re willing to accept it and appreciate it.
Note: A key to changing habits, whether changing your mindset habits, emotional habits or physical habits, is to see yourself as the person you’d like to be. To envision yourself as a disciplined person.
You must change your self-concept as someone who embodies that in which you are seeking.
For example, if it’s discipline, tell yourself, emotionalize and believe yourself to embody the trait of discipline. This is part of your self-concept.
Your discipline gets stronger and stronger over time as you exercise it, just like you exercise your body. The same holds true for anything in which you truly desire. Your passion, perseverance and faith only get stronger with time, repetition and determination.
A practical method is to repeat the word DISCIPLINE to yourself throughout the day and actually feel that you are a disciplined person. Be sure to celebrate your accomplishments AS you are staying true and on track with your goal.
Focus on the good feelings that having discipline provides (pride, self-worth, courage, strength, resolve) and attach yourself to these emotional states. This is the person you choose to be. This is who you are and who you will always be.
Note: Another key to changing habits is to always speak in the present tense. For example, you can say, “I am discipline”, but it's even more effective to repeat just the word that you are embodying.
This method works because your subconscious cannot deny it because it is a declarative statement. It’s a fact.
You repeat the word DISCIPLINE repetitively to yourself throughout the day to remain focused. You can even use an association method to solidify and remember the habit.
For example, for each time you look at your phone or unlock your phone, you can say the word DISCIPLINE to remind yourself of your goal of reducing the time wasted on your phone.
What you are doing is conditioning yourself to associate the activity of checking the phone as a reminder of having the discipline to change your behavior.
Creating a vivid picture of yourself enjoying all the great feelings, emotions and activities you’ll be engaging in when you stay disciplined and reduce your phone usage is another helpful and effective way to change a habit.
Checking the phone is a habit and it releases dopamine, a "feel good" chemical in the brain. Dopamine is also released when engaging in constructive habits as well.
When you release dopamine while engaging in constructive habits such as exercising discipline, it replaces the dopamine increase that was associated and received by the destructive habit that you’ve identified. In this case, the excessive phone usage.
You are replacing the “feel good” habit of phone usage with the “feel good” habits of self-discipline, or any constructive habit for that matter.
In summary, what you are doing is practicing the "3 R's of Habit Change" by HAVING discipline. I have a brief video explaining how this method has worked for me and it can be found at Premierconsulting.biz
The method is as follows:
1. RECOGNIZE a destructive habit, emotion or activity that you would like to change. Just recognize it, don’t dwell on it. After you recognize it, stay focused on the habits that you like and want to HAVE.
Remember: This is a habit that YOU feel is preventing you from reaching your goals. YOU determine whether the habit is destructive or not. You’ll know by the way you feel. Listen to your intuition.
2. REPLACE or REMOVE the undesired habit with a constructive habit.
In this example with the excessive wasteful phone usage, replace the time off the phone with anything that you enjoy doing.
It is imperative to have a replacement for the destructive habit that you’re looking to change. Therefore, if you don’t know what you’re interested in, take some time to yourself, preferably with a pen and paper, and write about the things that you love to do.
Write down the things that bring you joy, that bring you satisfaction and fulfillment. Be sure to include everything that you can think of and choose one thing that you can move into action to do right now.
You may even find that you enjoy the process of writing your thoughts, creative ideas and goals down on paper.
Remember to have gratitude for what you currently have. If you are unable or unwilling to appreciate what you have now, how can you expect to receive more?
3. REPEAT the word, emotion or activity over and over and over and over again until it’s automatic.
By HAVING discipline, you are empowered to know that you can change ANY destructive habit, replace it with a constructive habit and create your life in accordance with what you value, what you believe and who you are.
Stay the course and don’t fall for appearances. Remain steadfast and unwavering in changing your destructive habits and stay focused on living your best life.
You deserve it.
To your continued success,
Francis J. Bills
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