How To Break Bad Habits
Without a doubt, the number #1 question I get asked by clients is ‘how do I break a bad habit like procrastination, worry, insomnia, negative thinking or smoking’? There are a million examples of ways that each one of us holds our own success back by ‘doing’ unproductive habits.
To make lasting change to deeply ingrained bad habits using willpower and positive affirmations alone is not realistic. Everyone knows that positive thinking is undependable and produces inconsistent results, at best. The self-image on the other hand underpins our level of emotional intelligence (EQ), which is now recognised as being an even more important measurement for success than the IQ.
It has been scientifically proven that our brain circuits take engrams or memory traces and produce neuro connections only if they are bombarded with the information for 21 days in a row. This means that our brain does not accept ‘new’ data or habit changes unless they are repeated each day for at least 21 days, without missing a day.
If you want to change a habit like refusing to let go of the past, spending all your time worrying about what might go wrong, overeating, biting your nails or spending more than you earn,
it can be done but it will require consistent effort on your part, every day for at least 21 days. In order to do it, your success rate will improve significantly if you can replace that old habit you no longer need with a good and productive habit that will support you to achieve your goals and find someone to help keep you accountable.
And remember, no matter where you are in your life right now – the choices you have made or the experiences you have had – “I have a belief that it is never too late to become the person you were meant to be!”
3 Comments:
By Ann Moore 11 Aug 2011
Brilliant. I love your videos and your down to earth wisdom.
By Lily Weston 12 Aug 2011
Why do so many personal development experts say it only take 7 days?
By admin 18 Aug 2011
I am not sure why some of them have come to this conclusion. I would love to understand what they have based this hypothesis on. Until they provide empiricial evidence however, I do not have any scientific reason to believe that Dr. Maxwell Maltz, Benjamin Libet and others were wrong. It is easy to come up with a catchy claim or statistic that gets people to buy your books. It is quite another to back it up with evidence that can be examined and tested.
The limbic part of your brain is a slow learner. As such, all habits can be changed/retrained but it does take consistent effort, over a period of at least 21 days.