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As humans we are creatures of habit. There are no two ways about it. Some are more so than others, however all of us are generally more comfortable within certain parameters that we impose on ourselves. Some are good and some hold us back. There are some that are easy to identify and others that are harder. We would do well to remember that it is often easier for others to see our bad habits before we do and we shouldn’t snap at them for noticing these habits and pointing them out to us. If someone cares about us, what they point out is likely in our best interest. Bad habits can arise from a number of things like stress, boredom and laziness. Others still are picked up from those around us. Breaking habits is easier said than done, and in the end we are better off replacing them with new ones than trying to “delete” them. When we recognize how tied we can become to patterns and habits, we will be able to see a bad one as a chance to insert positive change into our lives. Just as we may have to mess up certain things a few times before we can learn to do them right, sometimes noticing a bad habit gives us the motivation to swing our momentum forward and replace it with a good one. Bad habits need to be changed so we can improve, instead of seeing them as failures. See them as opportunities to grow.

Breaking A Habit Is Harder Than Replacing One

Parents: Our children will need help with their habits. The first step is recognizing them, then determining if they are good or bad. The longer we practice a habit, the harder it is to change. For this reason it is so important to catch things early, and set about improving from a young age. It is key not just to help children replace bad habits, but to learn to identify them and not dwell on them so that later in life they can do these things for themselves. Make improving habits a habit in itself.

Teens: We are all more comfortable doing things a certain way that works best for us. What we sometimes forget to realize is that there may be a better way of doing something, or we may be doing something we don’t need to do in the first place. Change isn’t easy, but we need to instill in ourselves discipline to effectuate good changes. Sometimes we have to be uncomfortable in the short term to be better off in the long term.