by Wendy Brumback

Created on: January 22, 2011

We all have it, from smoking to nail biting, it is that one little bad habit we just can’t seem to shake.  Every other week we wake up and say “This is the day I’m going to stop.”  Yet, every time we fail. And that, in turn, makes it harder to for us to stop the next time we give it a whirl. 

I, by no means, have an easy answer for you here.  Truth is there really is no easy way to stop.  Sure we have all heard the stories about the friend that woke up one day and decided to quit, and they haven’t done it since, but for most of us that will not work; our brains are not hard-wired for it.  That means the process of quitting is going to be a long one, and perhaps filled with a few bumps and a road block or two along the way.

That is why, in my own journey to be free from these ties that bind, I have come up with a list of 10 things to help me achieve freedom from these habits.  And I am going to share them with you.

#1 – Remove the Negative.  Now I know you might be thinking that if you could do that you would have already quit by now seeing as many habits are used as a means of stress reduction.  But that is not what I am taking about.  For many of us we do not like to think of ourselves as failures – or “quitters” and that is why you need to turn your goal into a positive one.  If you are trying to stop overeating, then you may want to try setting a goal to be healthier. Quit smoking – try changing it to healthier lungs, or being able to breathe better.  Nail biting?  Then your goal may be to grow longer nails.  No matter the bad habit you want to quit, I know you can find a way to reinstate it in a positive way.  In the end it will make you feel better to working towards something rather than trying to quit or give up on it.

#2 – Set a Goal.  You quite possibly have heard this one before, but that doesn’t make it any less important.  If you set up a time line you are more likely to work for it, write it down somewhere where you will see it every day.  That makes it a subtle reminder to make a conscious effort to works towards that goal.

#3 – Find something else to do during Commercials.  Did you know that many of us will simply take part in our bad habit just to entertain ourselves during a commercial break?  It’s true.  So instead of picking up that pack of smokes, or checking

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