Kick the Bad Habits

张梦华

习惯不仅影响着我们的个人生活和事业，而且在我们的生活和事业中表现出强大的力量，那么我们该如何利用这种力量，发挥潜能，改进方式，使个人最终获得成功呢？

“Nothing is more powerful than habit.”

——奥维德（Ovid），古罗马著名诗人，长篇叙事诗《变形记》的作者。

“I know I have many bad habits， I want to change but I have tried and I failed.”

Does this sound familiar？ Often， people are aware that they have bad habits， but they simply do not have enough motivation to change them.

A habit is simply a behavior that has been performed so often that it becomes second nature and part of a comfort zone that people have created for themselves.

Your success or failure depends on your habits. If your habits are encouraging， motivating and empowering， you will have successful life. However， if your habits limit your performance， prevent you from achieving your goals and block your potential， chances are that you are not living a fulfilling life.

Can you really change your habits？ The answer is， no. You can only replace your habits.

For example， if you have habit of procrastinating （延遲）， replace it with a “Do it now” habit. When you have a task to do， just do it now， do not even wait for a second thought. Soon， you will discover that your habit of procrastinating no longer has an influence on you.

Since everybody is a slave to habits， it makes sense to be a slave to good habits only.

How to replace your bad habits？

▲ You must be aware that your habit is bad， and that it is limiting your performance.

▲ Ask yourself why you want this habit to be replaced. The more good reasons you can think， the higher the change of getting it replaced. Writing down the reasons will force you to think it through and make the commitment （犯罪）.

▲ Set a time frame to replace this habit.

▲ Enjoy your new habit and it will soon become second nature， and the old habit will be forgotten.

How to nourish （滋养） your mind with good habits？

●Listen to your words. Every word that you say will have an impact （碰撞） on yourself. If your words are always negative， you are feeding your mind the wrong food to flourish. If your words are always encouraging， your mind will prosper.

●Be conscious of your actions. Your actions will determine whether you are achieving what you want. Every one of your actions is a reflection of what is on your mind.

●Read a motivational book at least once a month， or read a motivational quote at least once a day.

●Listen to motivational tapes or inspiring songs while you are driving or taking public transport.

●Indulge （ 尽情享受） in your good habits. You must like good habits and enjoy performing them， even at the sub-conscious level.

●It is your responsibility to nourish your mind with right habits. No one else is responsible for your success.