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In our daily life we often show some behaviors repeatedly, sometimes unconsciously. There seems to be no way that we can live a day without these. These behaviors are called habits. Habits can be good or bad. Good or bad, habits make you who you are. The key is managing them. Although we become slaves of our habits once they are developed, they are our slaves before they are developed. So the key to a successful life is to develop good habits while managing bad. Unfortunately, it is much easier to develop bad habits than good ones & what is more worrying is that it is even more difficult to break them once they are made.

Common bad habits include smoking, over-eating, over-sleeping, etc. These all can be controlled & conquered with strong will-power & commitment. Anything & everything is possible with these 2 secret arms, even changing the way you have behaved for almost all your life.

But with will-power & commitment to start with, there is more to do to manage habits. Successful people are those who can manage their habit before their habits manage them. Recent research from a new field called Positive Psychology, which is the scientific study of happy, successful people, points to at few proven techniques for successful habit management:

Replace Bad With Good: It might sound difficult to replace a bad habit with a good one, but it is much more easier than removing that bad habit completely. In this way, you will not feel the gap created from removing an activity that was an integral part of your daily routine. For example, if you’re addictive to TV, you might want to replace it with browsing the Internet or visiting a neighbor.

Use A Time Frame: It might be hard to completely eliminate a bad habit in one go. If so, it would be good to do it gradually. Fix a schedule to practice the bad habit you want to get rid of, but commit yourself not to go beyond that time-frame. Gradually reduce the time you allow for yourself & soon you will find it easier to eliminate totally. For example, if you are a chain smoker, you might fix a particular time for you to smoke. Be committed not to smoke at any cost beyond that time. Moreover, you can fix a very uncomfortable smoking stool for you to sit & smoke.

Gradually you will reduce smoking in this way & completely stop at one stage. Researches show that this is 1 of the first steps to conquer bad habits & proves to be effective in most cases.

Exercise: A  habit of regular exercise can help in many other ways than just well-being or losing weight. Exercise keeps your mind more fresh & focused. This helps in achieving goals & eliminating bad habits.

Reward Success: According to the ‘law of effect’, actions followed by rewards are strengthened & likely to recur. Many people forget that it is possible to reward one’s own self. If there is a reason as good as changing a bad habit, it must be followed by reward.

So, try to set up formal or informal rewards for your small successes. This greatly increases the chances of transforming bad habits into good ones & is far more effective than punishing for bad habits or setbacks.

Habits aren’t created in 1 day. But once created, they can’t be removed as easily. So, the best way to make the best use of habits is to manage them & control them in the wisest manner. That is the secret that worked for many successful people & can work for you too!!

Have a highly inspired day…your friend

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About The Author…
Natalie writes about Habits. For more information about Habits visit Thoughtful-Self-Improvement.Com