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The Habit Change Cheatsheet: 29 Ways to Successfully Ingrain a Behavior

The Habit Change Cheatsheet: 29 Ways to Successfully Ingrain a Behavior
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. – Aristotle Our daily lives are often a series of habits played out through the day, a trammeled existence fettered by the slow accretion of our previous actions. By Leo Babauta But habits can be changed, as difficult as that may seem sometimes. I’m a living example: in tiny, almost infinitesimal steps, I’ve changed a laundry list of habits. It’s possible. And while I’ve written about habit change many times over the course of the life of Zen Habits, today I thought I’d put the best tips all together in one cheatsheet, for those new to the blog and for those who could use the reminders. Keep it simple Habit change is not that complicated. The simple steps of habit change: 1. 2. 3. That’s it. The Habit Change Cheatsheet The following is a compilation of tips to help you change a habit. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.

10 Tips for Quitting Smoking | zen habits By Leo Babauta I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary of quitting smoking. Well, of finally quitting … like most smokers, I had tried to quit many times and failed. But this quit stuck, and I’d like to share the top 10 things that made this quit successful when the others failed. 1. Commit Thyself Fully. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. BONUS TIP #11: THINK POSITIVE.

63 Ways to Build Self-Confidence Confidence is a tool you can use in your everyday life to do all kinds of cool stuff, not least to stop second-guessing yourself, manage your fears and become able to do more of the things that really matter to you. But not many people realise that their self-confidence works just like a muscle – it grows in response to the level of performance required of it. Either you use it or you lose it. That’s why I’ve given you 63 ways to grow your confidence so that you can become a giant. Learning is a Good Thing, so sign up for that evening class and enjoy it.Get out of your own head by asking your partner or best friend what you can do for them today.Hit the gym. Read full content

Sam Spurlin — live consciously How to Gain Respect of Others — It is interesting to consider why we instinctively respect some people, but others can be very hard to appreciate. Respect doesn’t necessarily mean we have to agree with everything they say; respect comes from people’s inner life, and the values and beliefs they hold. If someone is sincere, honest and self effacing it is easy to respect them, even if they believe in a different life philosophy. If we can understand why some people instinctively gain respect, we can learn to implement these characteristics in our own life. Talk Less We do not command respect by excessively talking. True words aren’t eloquent; eloquent words aren’t true. - Lao Tzu.Tao Te Ching Verse 81 Listen More Everyone likes to have their own say. Sincere Appreciation There is a big difference between sincere appreciation, and flattery which hopes for similar words to be repaid in kind. Non Judgemental It is easy to build up lists of people we like and people we dislike. Honesty Leave Praise To Other People Self Respect

Obsessive Thinking. Learn how to End Intrusive Thoughts. Obsessive thinking and intrusive thoughts are major symptoms for many people who suffer with an anxiety disorder. Obsessive thinking usually involves scary, intrusive thoughts and/or images that are not always followed by compulsions. Some consider this to be the same as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder but without the compulsions. "Obsessive Intrusive Thoughts are defined as unwelcome, involuntary thoughts, images or unpleasant ideas that may become obsessions, are upsetting or distressing, and can be difficult to be free of and manage. Breaking the cycle of obsessive thinking isn't easy but it can be done with a determined attitude, repetitious self-talk, and guided visualization methods. People with anxiety and/or depressive disorders often suffer with repetitive scary, uncomfortable, racing, thoughts. In the attempt to rid yourself of these thoughts, they just persists even more. Overcoming scary thoughts like this takes patience and persistence. 1. 2. 3. 4. Recommended Reading

60 Ways to Improve Your Life Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to make drastic changes in order to notice an improvement in the quality of your life. At the same time, you don’t need to wait a long time in order to see the measurable results that come from taking positive action. All you have to do is take small steps, and take them consistently, for a period of 100 days. Below you’ll find 60 small ways to improve all areas of your life in the next 100 days. Home 1. Day 1: Declutter MagazinesDay 2: Declutter DVD’sDay 3: Declutter booksDay 4: Declutter kitchen appliances 2. If you take it out, put it back.If you open it, close it.If you throw it down, pick it up.If you take it off, hang it up. 3. A burnt light bulb that needs to be changed.A button that’s missing on your favorite shirt.The fact that every time you open your top kitchen cabinet all of the plastic food containers fall out. Happiness 4. 5. 6. How many times do you beat yourself up during the day? 7. Learning/Personal Development 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

Manage Our Thoughts Reduce Anxiety Many anxieties arise from thoughts we have or interpretations of events in our lives that we know, intellectually, should not be anything to worry about. Although we tell ourselves that the situation is not so crucial and that there are many ways to look at it; and that we should not be too bothered or worried about it. Yet, it does bother us. It can haunt and nag us daily, causing anxiety, irritability, and misery. Sometimes, it is not the problem that is causing the anxiety, but it is the way we manage our mind and thoughts that causes the worries, stress and anxiety. 10 Simple Truths Smart People Forget Email Some of the smartest people I know continuously struggle to get ahead because they forget to address a few simple truths that collectively govern our potential to make progress. So here’s a quick reminder: #1 – Education and intelligence accomplish nothing without action. It doesn’t matter if you have a genius IQ and a PhD in Quantum Physics, you can’t change anything or make any sort of real-world progress without taking action. There’s a huge difference between knowing how to do something and actually doing it. #2 – Happiness and success are two different things. I know an extremely savvy businesswoman who made almost a million dollars online last year. I also know a surfer who surfs almost all day, every day on the beach in front of our condo complex in San Diego. “What will make me happy?” #3 – Everyone runs their own business. No matter how you make a living or who you think you work for, you only work for one person, yourself. is a good read on this topic. And that’s okay.

Things to Avoid While Quitting Smoking | TobaccoReviews.net Get Rid Of Smoking For Good! After reading and hearing a lot about smoking endangers and looking at those awful “quit smoking” ads, we all at some point develop a natural urge to stop this nicotine salvation forever. Many of us just can’t resist the temptation, while many of us try and fail and never try again! This article explains a few things you can adopt while you’re on the journey towards quitting, and if you really want this quit to be your last one. Read along, it may help. Do you want a life that’s free from the haunting thoughts of smoking and relieve you from the desire to take one more puff even after you have gotten rid of those nasty cigarettes? Losing Your Cool A habit developed over the years may not go with a snap of your finger, it may take time and with that your patience and endurance. Pessimism Don’t cry over the years you’ve spent smoking, as you’re not able to bring them back. Not Finding Smoking Alternatives Get Rid Of Smoking For Good! Ignoring Yourself

self Smoking and Weight Loss | CaloriesPerHour.com Heavy smokers and people who have smoked for a long time often gain a few pounds after they quit smoking. Unfortunately, smokers often use this fact to justify continuing to smoke. But this weight gain isn't inevitable. Weight gain can be avoided by eating less and/or exercising more. And if you're making poor food choices now, simply eating healthier foods can do the trick. Here are some of the reasons why quitting smoking causes people to gain weight: Smoking increases your metabolism, the rate at which you burn calories. Quitting smoking is difficult enough without the fear of gaining weight. You know that smoking is bad for you. After 20 minutes: Your blood pressure will decrease. After 8 hours: The level of carbon monoxide in your blood will drop to normal. After 24 hours: Your chance of heart attack will decrease. After 48 hours: Your nerve endings will start to regrow. After 2 weeks to 3 months: Your circulation will improve. After 1 to 9 months: After 1 year: After 5 to 15 years:

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