Is It Time to Review Your Habits?
Well, that sounds a bit daunting. After all, some of our habits are sure to be “bad.” Seriously, who wants to jump into that? Don’t we have to get to a meeting or take the car to be serviced?
Oh, right – procrastination.
Everyone has habits and not all of them can be detrimental, so first let’s look at those things we do repeatedly that are beneficial. Have a few come to mind?
If we instantly envision the kale smoothies we’re hooked on, the large carafe of filtered plain water within reach at all times and our daily lunchtime walk, kudos to us for some pretty impressive healthy choices.
But even if we tend toward the questionable “drink 3 cups of high-test before noon” or “eat a bag of baby carrots every day since quitting smoking,” we can learn a lot about ourselves by inventorying what we do, when and why.
Plus, we may just identify some habits that we continue to indulge despite having outgrown the original need or impetus.
That’s what happened when one person was about to meet Dr. Steve Rosenberg the first time.
“Knowing he’s the Habit Doctor was intimidating,” said she who will not be named. “Suddenly, I could see all my habits in a line reaching back for miles, and it seemed every one of them was undesirable. Starting with biting my nails.”
Have you ever felt that your hands were beyond ugly? That you should do the world a big favor and spend the rest of your life with them in your pockets? Then you understand the anguish.
Not surprisingly, the thing at the front of her mind came flying out of her mouth during the meeting. “I bite my nails! Even when I’m not stressed!”
And an amazing thing happened. Dr. Rosenberg said, “Well, you won’t do it anymore.”
“I won’t?”
“You won’t. Now that you’ve drawn so much attention to it” – there were two other witnesses to her confessional outburst – “you’ve made yourself aware of it and can break the habit.”
That was nearly two months ago. The fingernails are not only growing nicely, but they are frequently filed, buffed and polished for the first time in their ten little lives. They aren’t long – after decades of short to nearly nonexistent, this gal would probably hurt herself if she maintained fancy long nails.
It’s a small accomplishment but a huge opportunity for personal clarity. When we shine a light on our habits, we have a chance to examine those little and big tics that make us tick, for good or evil.
And if we need a hand exorcising those that no longer serve us well, Dr. Steve Rosenberg is available to provide professional assistance, whether it’s quitting a toxic habit like smoking, reframing our approach to food so we can maintain a healthy weight, drawing on our inner peace to create a balanced life free of stress – or dealing once and for all with some more obscure personal habit demon that’s keeping us from the life we are meant to lead.
Talk to Dr. Steven Rosenberg to find out more about eradicating undesirable habits and creating the life you want. You can reach him here and at his website, Quit It Now.