Secrets of Mind and Reality

Self discipline is not the only component of changing behaviors: you need a plan!

We all have behaviors we’d like to change. These behaviors don’t necessarily have to be vices perse. Perhaps you always procrastinate when it comes to the weekly shopping. You wait until the late afternoon to get out and get it done. By that time, the stores are crowded, with other procrastinators, parking is difficult and the store is out of popular items. It takes an hour longer to do the deed and you arrive home feeling exhausted and irritated.

Changing behaviors like this may seem easy to anyone who doesn’t have a tendency to procrastinate. For you, it’s easier said than done. Along with a little self discipline, you need to try to discover why you procrastinate when it comes to this task. You may be surprised to discover how easy changing behaviors like this can be. What you need is motivation and a plan.

Perhaps what you dread most about the weekly shopping is really of your own making! You’re frustrated by the crowded conditions, long waits and the amount of time required to complete it. You know it’s got to be done, but you make excuses until late in the day. If you simply made it your rule to get out early in the morning, you’d save an hour, find everything you needed and not have to put up with the crowds. Hey, now you’ve got the motivation and the plan for changing behavior you’ve practiced for years.

How about changing behavior patterns that are more challenging? Let’s take smoking as a good example. If you’ve smoked for years, you’ve got a number of accumulated habits. First, there’s the addiction to tobacco and all the other nasty things they put into the cigarettes. Any smoker can tell you that there are a number of triggers that tell your mind and body that it’s time to light up. You’re thinking through some problem. In order to better focus and concentrate, a cigarette is required. Someone upset you. You’re nervous. You’re talking on the phone. There seems to be no end to this list of triggers. When you’re talking about changing behavior patterns of this type, it’s not quite so easy.

Again, you need to discover why you practice the behavior and what’s stopping you from changing behavior patterns so that you can quit. The reason this behavior is so difficult to address is because it involves an addiction, several mental games you play with yourself and a truckload of excuses. Here, you definitely need a well thought out plan. Make a list of everything you enjoy about smoking. You may find the list is quite short! Make another list of things you believe harmful about smoking. Don’t just parrot what the doctor has told you. Do you find yourself winded climbing a flight of stairs? Do you put off more necessary expenses in order to buy tobacco? BTW, we all know lung cancer is a real threat for the smoker.

Once you’ve got the pros and cons down on paper, make a list of alternatives to exercise when you want a smoke. Changing behavior patterns is much about changing habitual patterns. When you’re thinking through a problem, take a short walk instead of lighting up. Wrap up your cigarette pack in paper, with a rubber band around it. This will at least give you pause, reminding you of what you want to accomplish. Keep a picture of what lung cancer looks like in your desk drawer. When you get the urge to light up, take a peek at this picture. Changing behavior patterns is a matter of substituting one habit for another and a well considered plan.