Breaking Bad...Habits That Is: Get the "How To"

You may not believe me when I say this, but I really didn't plan the timing of this subject to coincide with the end of the year. It wasn't until I was researching a bit more on breaking habits that I realized, "hey, it's nearly New Year's resolution time!" Yeah, sometimes I'm that dense...

On Wednesday, I mentioned that I was going to use my college education. I studied psychology. While I was primarily interested in Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and some other "symptoms of war," I found habits and human behavior to be interesting. So I have aquired a lot of knowledge and mountains of info on this subject. Of course it is always the implementation that matters! Today, I'm going to share some of what it takes to break a habit or make a habit and point you to some people and places that you can get more info.

If you are not familiar with Dana Wilde and The Mind Aware, I highly recommend her! She has a fabulous training program for your brain and it is effective and easy. Dana uses "daily mantras" to help you get your mind heading in the right direction. Before you dismiss her program as a bunch of "affirmation mumbo-jumbo" be sure to listen to the study and thinking behind why she teaches you to use these. She has a lot of study and data to back up what she is using to help us become the people we would like to be.

I'm sure you have heard of the theory that it takes 21 days to break or make a new habit. Did you know that you are even more successful if you have a written plan for this? Many times, it is not enough just to say that you are going to change, but it actually takes the forethought and visual stimulus in order to change that habit. DIY Home Sweet Home has this awesome tool for you to get started planning and making your change:

Part of the equation of success is to have some sort of visual reminder in front of you every day. This chart not only lists all the whats, hows, and whys, but it also has that added bonus of having a "check mark" area. That's just one more way to "reward" yourself for the positive steps you are taking.

Another highly effective tool for change is again the accountability partner. Find someone who is working to change as well and share your goals, successes, and challenges with her. She doesn't always have to be working on the same issue, but many times it helps if she is. If you can't readily find a one-on-one partner, join a Facebook group that supports the need you have or find a support group in your local area. Can't find what you are looking for? Start one yourself! Chances are that there is at least 1 other person looking to change in the way you need to. The chances of your success increase greatly when you use the written plan and become nearly guaranteed when you use the written plan AND the accountability partner!

I just started a new Pinterest board for this specific idea, check it out:

Follow Karen's board Change: Life, Habits, and Growth on Pinterest.

The important thing is to identify the area (or "drug of choice" from Wednesday's blog) that needs to be changed and then be sure to cover that area in prayer. We can accomplish only so much when we rely on these tools (that are fabulous by the way!), but when we go to our Maker, miracles happen! Need prayer for an area? Comment in the comments section here or email me at shoppingwithkaren@gmail.com.

Until next time, <3 ya all!