{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"How To Break A Bad Habit","description":"Have you ever had a bad habit\u2026something that you knew would not benefit you or help you in any way, yet you do it anyway? Or maybe it\u2019s something that you need to do, but for some reason you avoid doing it?   These are BAD HABITS! And this is something I can definitely relate to. We all have bad habits\u2026It doesn\u2019t matter who you are, you have one (or some).   For example, I have a bad habit of procrastination. If there is something I know I\u2019m scheduled to work on, but not in the mood to do it\u2026I\u2019ll procrastinate by spending time doing something else that doesn\u2019t help me reach my goals. For example, when it\u2019s time for me to create more podcast & YouTube content, but I\u2019m not in the mood, then I\u2019ll find something\u2026ANYTHING to do\u2026even do the dishes of all things, just to avoid the work I scheduled to finish.   A friend of mine was sharing how watching SportsCenter on ESPN is a bad habit b\/c, by watching it, he fails to fully engage with his wife\u2026particularly during times when he knows his time can be better spent with his spouse.   This is true in all areas of our lives, right? For example:   Our Faith: We know in order to grow in our faith, that we need to pray and spend time with God\u2026but we don\u2019t   Our Family lives: We know in order to have a healthy marriage and relationship with our kids, we need to spend consistent & quality time with them\u2026but we don\u2019t   Our health: We know in order to live more healthy lives, we need to consistently workout and have better nutrition\u2026but we don\u2019t   Our wealth: We know in order to achieve our financial goals, we need to be more wise with our spending\u2026but we don\u2019t   I can go on and on\u2026you get the point.   So this begs the question\u2026   Why do we do things that we know we aren\u2019t supposed to do? Why do we do things that we know are not beneficial for us?     To answer this question, we\u2019ve gotta understand WHY this question is so important.   The reason this topic is so important is because our habits, whether good or bad, heavily influence our results in our work and life. Therefore, our results in any area of our lives WILL NOT CHANGE if our habits STAY THE SAME.   Our faith and level of fulfillment won\u2019t change if we don\u2019t habitually pray\u2026 Our relationships won\u2019t change if we don\u2019t habitually invest our time and presence in them\u2026 Our health won\u2019t change if we don\u2019t habitually work out & eat better\u2026 Our wealth won\u2019t change if we don\u2019t habitually save more\u2026 Our career or business won\u2019t change if we don\u2019t habitually put in the work.   So let\u2019s breakdown how bad habits are formed:   We are emotional beings that are always trying to either (1) avoid negative or painful feelings or (2) pursue a desirable good or pleasurable feeling.   Bad habits are often birthed out of a desire to escape from a negative feeling or emotion!!   These negative feelings & emotions include: fear, anxiety, sadness, anger, frustration, stress, overwhelmed, guilt, shame, self-doubt, worry   These emotions develop in response to life experiences\u2026which are broken down into internal (thoughts of past) or external (events)   This is the sequence:   Experience(Trigger) \u00e0 Emotion (Feeling) \u00e0 Escape (Bad habit)   Therefore, The escape, aka the bad habit, is simply a temporary external bandaid to an internal emotional bleeding wound   Here are a host of different Escapes\u2026aka Bad Habits: Internet Gambling Women TV Food Drugs & alcohol Work Procrastination     The bad habit is the escape\u2026the bad habit is the bandaid.   Question: Can you cure internal bleeding with an external Band-Aid on the skin?? NO!!!   Then the cycle of bad habit begins because now you feel bad that you didn\u2019t do what you were supposed to do in the first place\u2026.and therefore go right back to the escape to run from the negative feeling\u2026   Now a new Identity is formed because you begin to play a new narrative in your mind. You begin having thoughts that sound like this\u2026 \u201cGod doesn\u2019t care about me\u2026\u201d \u201cI\u2019m a bad person\u201d \u201cI\u2019m not a good husband\u201d \u201cI can\u2019t lose the weight\u201d \u201cI\u2019ll never overcome my struggle\u201d \u2026and a host of other negative thoughts that reinforce the bad habits   Here is THE BIGGEST STEP that you can take to BREAK YOUR BAD HABIT:   SELF AWARENESS!!   You\u2019ve got to become more self-aware of your habit, and the thoughts and emotions connected to them. Once you become self-aware, you can then begin to eliminate the bad habit. But self-awareness is the first step\u2026nothing changes without it.   Here are the steps to become self-aware:   Step 1. Create time & space: Take 20min to dedicate to doing this exercise   Step 2. Identity the worst habit or addiction you have that you want to change: Choose only one bad habit. Work on one at a time.   Step 3. Identify the feeling\/emotion you have around the time that you are doing the bad habit Answer these questions: \u201cHow do I feel just before deciding to do the bad habit?\u201d \u201cWhat am I escaping from that leads me to the bad habit?\u201d   Step 4. Identify the trigger that causes that emotion Answer this question: \u201cWhat are the consistent triggers that leads me to do the bad habit?\u201d   Now here is the solution!   Step 5. Manage the negative emotion that you are trying to escape. Build a relationship with God: Spend consistent time with him Remember what he says about you! You are fearfully and wonderfully made You can do all things through Him who strengthens you Rely on this relationship as your primary source of satisfaction & fulfillment The relationship with God is ALL YOU NEED! You don\u2019t need any external thing from you, or any bad habit to satisfy you. When your cup is full, you won\u2019t need to fill it with anything else   Listen,   I really want you to practice this\u2026for real!! This will be a life-changer. Consider what life would be like with your greatest bad habit behind you!! REALLY IMAGINE IT!! It\u2019s possible, and it\u2019s real!   As always, if I can help you with breaking that habit\u2026don\u2019t hesitate to reach out!     ","author_name":"ELITE PerforMENce with Dr. Brad","author_url":"https:\/\/drbradmd.com\/","html":"