iStockphoto
Good and healthy habits take time to create, but bad habits are incredibly hard to break. It’s incredibly unfair but true. Developing a strong set of good habits takes days, weeks and months but one bad habit can last a lifetime.
The first and most important step to breaking those bad habits is recognizing the issue and making conscious efforts to eradicate each one from your daily life. In a recent piece, Forbes highlighted the 14 everyday habits that are killing your energy, effectiveness, productive and chances for success.
Sleeping too much, eating like crap, incessantly checking your email or socials and staying in unhealthy relationships are a few of the easier negative habits to change immediately. While each is difficult to break, the solutions lie in simple tactics like getting your ass out of bed, eliminating junk food or just not buying bad food in the first place, locking your phone away or just breaking it off with a partner or friend who’s dragging you down. You know these things are sucking your soul, you’ve just got to take the first step.
The other bad habits mentioned in the article are just as draining but aren’t always as apparent until a person takes a good hard look at the way they spend the day. The first bad habit is not letting go of the past. Until man develops the time machine, there’s absolutely zero a person can do about the past. Hanging onto it, holding grudges, say “if only this happened” and wallowing in all the ways things have gone wrong does nothing to help your current situation. Just let it go.
The next energy-draining habit is being negative all the time. Here’s a good indicator to tell if you’re not sure of your level of negativity. If anyone has ever said to you “why are you always so negative?” then you’re way too critical and unproductive. Nothing sucks the life from the body and relationships than constant skepticism.
Negativity’s best friend is the next lousy habit to crush is constantly complaining to anyone who’ll listen. No one wants to be around negativity all day, and people certainly don’t want to listen to a complainer whine all the time. Instead of bellyaching about the bad, focus on the good or do ANYTHING to improve the bad.
Finally, the fourth bad habit to cut out of your daily life is constantly trying to please others. Aristotle believed that “there is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” This is your life. It’s not your mom’s life. It’s not your partner’s life. These days belong to you alone. Do something to make this life your own.
Check out the rest of the energy-draining habits to avoid and start developing these healthy habits immediately.
Chris Illuminati is a 5-time published author and recovering a**hole who writes about career advice, gear and occasionally pro wrestling. Follow him on Twitter.