Eliminate Bad Habits
John: I don’t want to struggle for the sake of struggle. I think that’s dumb. Some of what we see as struggle is really just paralysis and bad decisions by choice.
Back in the day, you could go to work, come home, either watch TV, read a book, play a game, go to town and then you could go home. Weekends are for you and what you want to do.
Now, there is so much choice every day that people do not make choices – they celebrate struggle. It’s garbage. You can also make bad choices and it may not get you – yet. I knew a man who was a functioning alcoholic. He went to work every day. Kept a job. Always. One day, he got cancer and died. Did it kill him? Who’s to say. Couldn’t help though.
I have a friend who loves the lottery. Plays every day. Lost his job recently. Now he doesn’t have much money. Will it kill him? Who’s to say. Couldn’t help though.
Our problem is not surviving. We all will live longer than we want to. The problem is getting rid of things in our lives that keep us from thriving. Your phone, booze, junk food, anything with a big risk and a small reward. Get rid of them. No they are not easy. They even feel good. That’s why they are bad. Maybe eliminating bad habits and saying no to find balance is why and how we find it.
Sandy, how do you get rid of bad habits?
Sandy: Hey John, I’m sure you don’t mean that all things that feel good are inherently bad. I believe the things that feel good in a lasting way are good for us.
However, the high we get from alcohol, drugs, gambling, shopping, junk food, or any other addictive behavior is temporary, which is why we do them repeatedly and they become an addiction. It’s so we can regain and maintain the high.
I’ve talked with people who are hooked on some of these behaviors, and they tell me that initially it felt really good, but then the high became harder and harder to achieve, so they needed to drink more alcohol, increase their drugs, or gamble more in order to feel as they did the first time. That’s why these things are addictive.
The things that feel good in a lasting way are the love you feel for your family and friends, the enjoyment you find in the beauty of nature, the warmth and coziness you feel in front of a fire on a cold winter day. These things all feel wonderful, and are definitely good for us. These are the things we need to do more of. Especially when we’re tempted to do the things that aren’t good for us.
People often turn to things that make them feel good in order to escape negative feelings. Instead of changing the thinking that is making them feel bad, they choose to mask the feelings with a temporary high. Unfortunately, this doesn’t change the situation that was causing the negative feelings, so when you come off the high those feeling are still there.
It’s so important for us to remember that our thinking creates out feelings, which often creates our behavior. We each have the power to choose our thoughts. We can focus on the negative, which will create negative feelings, and usually self-destructive behaviors follow. Or we can switch our negative thoughts to positive ones, create happy feelings and find the joy in life.
I believe we all have the power to choose where we get our highs. We can go the drug/alcohol/gambling/shopping route, or we can go the love/being in nature/ finding the joy and beauty route.
Everything is there for us to choose from. It’s up to each of us to make the choices, and deal with the rewards or consequences of those choices.
Sandy is now offering a FREE Coaching Call, so you can see what Coaching is all about. Please email her at Sandy@insidejobscoach.com and put FREE Call in the Subject Line. She will get right back to you to schedule your call.
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