5 Ways to
Kick the Bad Mental Habits That Keep You From Reaching Your Goals
No matter what
goals you've set for 2017, you'll struggle to reach them if your brain is working against you. The way you think affects how you feel and how you behave. And it only
takes one bad mental habit to hold you back.
Getting rid of
your bad mental habits will help you work smarter, not harder. Your good habits
will become more effective when you've eliminated the unhealthy habits that
steal your time and rob you of mental strength.
Here are a few bad mental habits to kick for
the new year so you can meet your goals:
1. Create behavioral experiments to challenge
your self-limiting beliefs.
Everyone experiences self-limiting beliefs at
one time or another. Maybe you think you're not good enough to get a promotion.
Or perhaps you're convinced no one would like you if they really knew you.
Those self-limiting beliefs will turn into self-fulfilling prophecies--unless you challenge
them. Remember, your beliefs aren't necessarily true.
Be willing to prove yourself wrong. Take one
small step to challenge your beliefs. When you view life as a series of
behavioral experiments, you can test the negative assumptions you make about
yourself.
2. Replace victim language with statements
that empower you.
Saying things like "My friends make me
spend more money than I want" or "My boss makes me feel bad about
myself" will cause you to become a victim of your circumstances. It's
important to recognize that no matter how tough things are, you have choices.
Stop giving away your personal power. Remember that the only person who controls how you think, feel, and
behave is you.
When you find yourself blaming other
people--or your circumstances--stop yourself. Use language that empowers you to
be in the driver's seat in your life.
3. Practice self-compassion.
Beating yourself up after a mistake or
calling yourself names won't motivate you to do better. In fact, it'll hurt
your performance and drag you down.
If you want to do better, practice
self-compassion. Talk to yourself like a trusted friend. Be honest, but refuse
to be overly self-critical.
So rather than calling yourself an idiot for
messing up, remind yourself that everyone makes mistakes. Commit to learning
from your mistakes so you can do better next time.
4. Behave like the person you want to become.
Thinking "I wish I could be a happier
person" or "I wish I could be a morning person" won't do you any
good. If you want to change your life, you have to get out of your head and
make it happen.
The best way
to do that is to behave like the person you want to become. Whether you want to
be a productive person or a mentally strong person, ask yourself, "What does a person like that do?"
Then, behave like the person you want to
become. That doesn't mean acting fake or pretending to be someone you're not.
Instead, it's about becoming the best version of yourself by changing the way
you behave.
5. Practice living in the moment.
It's easy to waste time wishing the past were
different or worrying about what might happen in the future. But the only time
you can change your life is right now.
If you want to improve yourself, pay
attention to what is going on around you right now. Mindfulness takes practice
and a concerted effort. But over time, you can learn how to become fully aware
of the here and now.
Research has linked mindfulness to everything
from better health and improved relationships to heightened focus and increased
mental strength.
Build Your Mental Muscle
The good news is, people have the ability to
train their brain for happiness and success. Becoming aware of your bad habits
is the first step in creating positive change.
Letting go of
your bad mental habits will jump-start your mental strength training. Commit to building mental muscle and no matter what obstacles you
face, you'll be prepared to reach your goals.
By Amy
Morin
http://www.inc.com/amy-morin/5-ways-to-kick-the-bad-mental-habits-that-keep-you-from-reaching-your-goals.html
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