We all have those "bad" habits.
It could be biting your nails, smoking, eating lunch at your desk, not drinking enough water - you get the point.
When you try to break those habits, we often think that we just need to stop cold turkey. Others will try gradually slowing down on the bad habit.
My biggest advice is to not worry about breaking bad habits but instead building good habits.
Atomic Habits
I think I have mentioned before but if you haven't had a chance to yet, you should read the book, Atomic Habits, by James Clear.
Clear provides a summary of "the four laws of behavior change." This gives you a path on how to develop a new good habit. These include (1) make it obvious, (2) make it attractive, (3) make it easy and (4) make it satisfying.
It can be difficult to create a new habit. It might be easy enough to start a week or two of positive habits - drink eight glasses of water a day; go for a walk at lunch; read 10 pages of a book at night. But, it's staying consistent with that habit.
That is where Clear's behavior changing laws come into play. You need a solid foundation to build a lasting habit.
It's funny because when you think about bad habits. Those can happen overnight. One night out you decide to smoke a cigarette, and the next thing you know, you are buying a pack a week.
Consistency
When it comes to building anything, I can't stress consistency enough. I have fell off my good habits lately.
I still drink my gallon of water per day. However, some nights I would choose watching TV over reading my book. I decide to sleep in instead of wake up early to work out. As I said in "Keep your word to yourself," you are really only letting yourself down in those moments.
You are going to have off days. You are going to have days you need sleep over a workout.
It's more about staying consistent. You will be more productive tomorrow.
Habits build confidence
The biggest reason I wanted to bring up building habits is because I know what it does for my confidence.
When I enjoy my workouts, when I breathe in the fresh air from a walk, when I escape into a new world with a book - all those habits help me to be a better version of myself.
Once I know that I have done something good for my mind, body and soul, I start to feel more confident with myself.
As soon as I start to drift from a positive habit, I start to feel bad. I feel like I failed myself. I have regret with what I am doing.
You will never regret a good habit.
Start one today.
Make sure it puts a smile on your face.
Stay simply confident,
Kayla