HabitMix

Do habits shape your destiny ?

Dropping bad habits and adopting good habits is easier said than done.

It requires a lot of mental discipline, dedication and patience, because bad habits are frequently like wired circuits in your brain that are hard to change if you don't devote yourself to the task.

Bad habits can ruin lives and careers even in the most talented people, just because they lack the determination to change the situation in a radical manner.

What Are Habits and Why Is It So Hard to Change Them?

Habits are routines that are performed on a regular basis because they are incorporated in the person's nervous circuits and frequently serve the purpose of offering the individual a sense of security, temporary protection or excitement.

For example, unhealthy habits such as smoking and drinking alcohol are actions that some people perform to relieve anxiety or distress in their daily life, or to mask their insecurities and low self confidence.

These temporary solutions become daily habits that negatively affect one's quality of life in the long run. The habits of eating too much or consuming junk food offer temporary excitement that later transforms into health problems and obesity.

The struggle to change the established connections within the brain is often accompanied by high levels of anxiety, suffering and stress, which prevent the individual from accomplishing a successful transition from bad to healthy habits.

Unfortunately, if one is unwilling to go through the pain that comes with altering those unhealthy routines, the chance of success decreases dramatically. No pain, no gain.

How Can You Effectively Develop Good Habits and Change Your Destiny?

Developing good habits is the best way to increase your productivity and achieve what you want to accomplish in life. It is a long and hard task, because your brain will always seduce you to get back to those easy-to-do, unhealthy routines that will only bring you temporary relief and a life-long lack of success.

Once a healthy habit is established and hard-wired in your brain, it is no longer painful to stick to it, but you have a long way to go until that happens.

People frequently say "If you want to be the best, you have to join the best". Although it is not our goal to convince you to join anybody or anything, a good example will illustrate how good habits can be developed in an effective way.

US Navy SEALs are the most elite special forces in the US military, and perhaps in the world. Being a Navy SEAL has more to do with mental toughness and cultivating good habits than with physical fitness.

You certainly cannot accuse SEALs of having unhealthy habits, because if that was the case they wouldn't stand a chance in their fight with the evil forces.

How do they train their minds to focus on developing healthy routines and stick to them while resisting the temptations of engaging in bad habits? They follow some basic steps that were designed by Navy psychologists that attempt to relieve the anxiety and the distress associated with changing the usual ways of doing things and transitioning into the "healthy" zone.

Here are the steps of the Navy SEAL mental toughness guide that help them overcome the hardships of the most demanding military training:

- Goal setting. This sounds very familiar, but SEALs do it differently. It's not about setting complicated life-changing goals that you are unlikely to accomplish, as you would expect, but breaking your goal into smaller steps that you will accomplish daily. Small, baby steps are easier to take, and the technique effectively decreases the anxiety associated with accomplishing the larger goal. Don't think about the finish line, just develop a habit of doing small things gradually, and you will be well on your way to changing the other habits.

- Mental rehearsal or visualization. Instead of telling yourself that starting Monday you will wake up earlier, eat healthier and exercise more, which is unlikely to happen all at once, try to run through those activities in your mind each day. Visualize what you want to do, how you want to do it and find inspiration to do it, in a very detailed manner. This will ensure that you don't fail when confronted with actually accomplishing what you want to do due to an unknown feeling or a missed detail. This is also very helpful in creating those new wired connections in your brain.

- Self Talk. Yes, you can talk and encourage yourself. You can actually hear your thoughts or your voice, and you can be pushed forward by your own positive message. Telling yourself "I can do it," "I am tougher than that," or, like SEALs do, "Pain is temporary, winning is forever," can actually make the difference between going forward and quitting.

- Arousal control. The most common reason for failing to start something new is panic and anxiety. Learning to take a step back, relaxing yourself through deep breathing and taking control of the situation in a gradual manner will increase your chances of winning your battle against bad habits.

Even tough Navy SEAL operators need sophisticated equipment and tools to succeed in their missions.

A daily checklist website like HabitMix.com, which will serve as a goal tracking device, will help you accomplish your task of dropping bad habits and adopting healthy ones.

You can use free goal-setting software to control the process effectively, and monitor your progress.

Although the online goal tracker will not substitute for your personal discipline and motivation, it will offer you a helping hand when the going gets tough.