Creating and maintaining new habits

If you want something different in your life you have to do something different in your life.  It is the very definition of insanity to keep doing the same things and expect different results.

We all have bad habits we need to eliminate from our lives and we all have things that we wish to incorporate into our lives.  Easier said than done right?

So what do we do when we want to eliminate bad habits?  Is that even possible.  Sometimes you can do what many people call cold turkey and just stop the bad habit, but most people are not wired that way.  For example you have decided to stop smoking.  There are a few people out there that can put down the cigarettes and never pick them up again.  Most people who want to quit smoking need something more.  Some use patches or medications to combat the cravings.  Some use gum to combat the need to put something in their mouth, but most need to replace the bad habit with something else.

So to eliminate the bad habit it is better to replace it with at least a better habit if not a good habit.  For example if your habit is to hit the snooze button 6 times before you get out of bed you can replace that habit by putting the alarm across the room so you have to get up in order to turn it off or you can do that and start going to bed earlier so you are more rested when its time to get up.

The first step to creating good habits is to decide what good habits you wish to develop and then create an action plan.  The 2nd is to implement that action plan and the 3rd is to maintain that action plan.

For some developing the new habit will come effortlessly.  For others gaining the new habit will take trial and error plus much struggling.  I have hear a couple of theories on habit formation.
I have heard it takes 21 days and I have heard it takes 30 days to create a habit.  I have also heard it takes 60 days to cement a habit.  I don't know which of these is true.  What it does show as that habit formation takes time.  It takes doing the new habit over and over again before it becomes effortless.

Your success or failure at building or maintaining a new habit will depend entirely on your motivation and commitment to doing it. You will face obstacles to creating new habits.  Things like unexpected events, lack of motivation to do the habit that day, lack of support from others or even others trying to prevent you from change.  It will be your commitment that will pull you through those obstacles until the new habit becomes ingrained and part of your life.

So ask yourself what do I want to change in my life?  What do I need to do to change it, and what do I need to do in order to stay committed to that change?  Then decide on a plan to get it done and implement it as soon as possible.  Putting it off won't make it any easier in fact it will make it more difficult to get started.