I have noticed this in many people, which have led me to conclude that no matter how successful and competent a person is, there will always be habitual patterns of behavior that will keep us stuck in certain areas of our lives.

I, myself, am guilty of this, too. And I believe that it’s part of being human. I haven’t met a single person with no negative behavioral patterns at all. Despite that, it doesn’t mean that we should accept it and live with it. What I did was I find a way to lessen it, because it makes a lot of difference. When you significantly decrease getting into that pattern, it becomes possible to be rid of it completely.

But, it’s going to take time and a lot of work on your end. Trust me; it’s going to be worth it.

When you start to get rid of the negative behavioral patterns in your life, you will evolve and grow, and it’s going to be amazing.

Trust me when I say, when you’re in the process of consciously eliminating it from your life, you won’t notice the changes right away. But you will at the right time, and you will feel the heaviness lifted off of your shoulders.

Visualize Yourself Without It

At this point, you have a deeper understanding of the behavior. And you’re pretty much eager to get rid of it. But before that, I want you to visualize your future self without it. How does it look? How does it feel? Thinking about it, how do you think? Form that mental image of how things would be if this behavior is no longer part of your life. See and feel it. Let yourself be enveloped by the emotions, and then, after that, we’ll act on it.

Take Responsibility

When you have visualized it, it’s time to take responsibility for your thoughts and emotions. This may be a challenge for you. I struggled with this because I would end up denying that they exist. However, you must take responsibility and accept them.

Be aware of what you feel, what you’re thinking, and what you believe objectively about them. I suggest you keep a daily log or journal to help you keep track of your behavior.

Shift Your Focus

Your mind is like a computer, which means you can reprogram at any time you want. With that, you can shift your focus. Gain leverage by focusing on the pain that it causes, and on the pleasure changing, it will bring your life. Make it even better by setting a date to break the habit and then take small steps to change the way you do things until you become free from it.

These may look like “basic” steps to you, but they’re the most effective ones that I’ve tried.

~Diadel Kimberlee