Forming A Good Habit and Staying With It..

" Sir I don't understand one thing. You say it is very easy to form a good habit. I want to form the habit of morning walk and have never been able to. I just slip back to my old ways of getting up late," he shared his pain-area . He was attending one of my training session a couple of years ago. I wanted to keep it as easy as possible in line with my own phiopsophy of keeping things easier. So I said.. 

"Yes, it is easy. Only you don't want to make it so."

" How can it be easy?" he wanted me to guide him..

" Do you have any habit already? Good or bad?" I was keen to make him come out with the answer on his own.

"Yes, I do smoke. I am habitual.. Not much but 5-6 cigarettes a day.."

"It means you were able to make it a habit. Like it must have happened that you smoked first time. You coughed. But then someone pushed you to ignore coughing and asked you to check what was happening to your head..and you liked that feeling.. And then you smoked again..and then again...and then again firming up the action of smoking in your mind in a way that a script got written in your mind that you should smoke after a certain period or in certain situations. That script in your mind then started directing you.. This is what happened, isn't it?" Somehow, I didn't want to use that terminology of neurons, dendrites , synaptic connections, neurotransmitters , neural networks, neural paths, etc. Not everyone finds it easy to understand that, really. And it doesn't help much. That could be a lengthier discussion where session is focused on how mind works. This was for a group of youngsters more on how to stay positive and build confidence.

"Yes, I can now see that repetition of the process got me into the habit," he said.

"What kind of scene pushed you to repeat it?" I wanted to know the outcome he wanted.

"Picture of a relaxed me, free of stress ", he said.

"So you have a positive intention or a positive outcome in mind..even if it is a bit misguided one.. Isn't it.."

"Yes, that's what it is.."

"It means you know how to form a habit.. Doesn't matter if it is an unhealthy one. You had a process and formed it. So you are aware of the process..," I had a questioning tone..

"Yes, I will have to agree.., " he said.

"Then use the same process to form the habit of a morning walk. Look, hear and feel about the outcome that would be positive.. You don't need anyone else to push you. Just form a picture of a FIT, FRESH, FULLY ALIVE and a SMILING YOU..see it on the walls of your mind before you sleep in the night. Let this Wonderful YOU make you wake up in the morning.. Or put an alarm and see this Beautiful YOU standing next to your Phone..and asking you to get up.. .."

" Of course. I get it. If I can form a bad health habit then I can use the same process to form a good habit.. Of course..", his eyes gleamed..

"Yes, because the process to form the habit would be the same.. For smoking someone else pushed you.. Here the one pushing you would be the Better YOU from the near future.. "

He smiled and promised to follow my advice. After two months he reported that he was walking everyday and had reduced smoking to just two cigarettes.. It felt good. It does. It only proved I was also walking every day , day after day on the road I had taken. It has turned into a habit.. To share everyday.. Someone said - It's overdose and you would lose followers.. Trust me that is not my goal.. I would be happy if people read without becoming followers.. Outcome for me is positive: It keeps me inspired to live what I write. 

Indeed we have every resource inside us. Only if we can use these resources wisely for us. NLP is a good guide to learn all this.. Try it with you to form some good habits.. happier habits.

I have reproduced the write from my archives for the benefit of about 16000 new connections and followers since I last contributed this..

RS:) #rameshsood #simplysood

Get in touch for one to one coaching / NLP based training in Self Awareness, Building and Practicing Positive Attitude, Building Rapport through Effective Communication , Handling change. I deliver effectiveness..

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