I sent out an email the other day that talked about breaking “bad habits”. I have received a lot of email from people who said they didn’t have “habits”. A few folks got down right offended… this is good (I’ll tell you why in a minute).

You can call them what you want:

• Baggage
• Routines
• Patterns
• …even addictions

They all boil down to the same thing…

Doing unproductive things over and over again.

Unfortunately, when we hear things like “bad habit” or “addiction” we immediately think the worst.  Like a substance abuser or something similar.

A bad habit could be as simple as not balancing your checkbook after EVERY check. This isn’t life threatening, but it IS a bad habit that can prevent you from achieving the financial goals you may have for yourself.

Here’s the funny things about bad habits:

They are so ingrained into what we do, they almost become a part of who we are…so much so that we don’t recognize them when they’re there.

Here’s the best way to determine if you have any “bad” habits in your life:

Are you living the life you want?

If not, you’ve got “BAD HABITS”!!!

These bad habits are keeping you from being the person you want to be and to have
the things you want to have.

So next you may be wondering “Well how do I break these ‘bad habits’?”

It’s simple follow these steps:

1. Figure out what’s the Payoff

-Why do you do this negative thing, what do you get out of it?
Example: If you procrastinate maybe it gives you the opportunity to put that thing off and not think about it right now because you would rather do something more enjoyable.

2. Figure out what’s the Trade Off

-What is it that your losing by doing this negative thing repetitively?
Example: Procrastination makes you irresponsible and unable to get things done in a timely matter, it also creates stress around trying to complete things at the last minute, if it gets done at all.

3. Make a choice

-Now you know your Payoff and Trade Off which do you put more value on, which do you actively choose?
Example: Would you rather procrastinate for the temporary satisfaction of doing something else with that time or make sure your responsibilities are completed in a timely manner with less stress, especially since it’s something you will have to do anyway?

4. Create Better Behaviors

-You created these “bad habits” to fill a need, now find a better way to fulfill this need without feeling bad about yourself.
Example: Taking care of your responsibilities without procrastinating will make you feel good about completing them with less stress and time to spare. This will also help you move in a positive direction with regards to reaching your goals. You will then have more time and money to do the things you enjoy doing.

Now it’s up to you, if you feel yourself reverting back to those “bad habits” think about what you are choosing. Make the choice that helps you move toward becoming who you want to become and having the lifestyle you want to have.

Antonio,

P.S. The reason why I say it’s a “good thing” that some people got
offended is that those are usually the people who need this the most
🙂

Click here to “Break Any Habit” and live the life you want NOW!!