How do we get rid of our bad habits?

.

 

The Last Psychiatrist posted an interesting piece that offers a fresh (and very realistic) take on resolving any kind of bad habit:

…the thing I find helps most people is to understand that you can’t refrain from doing something you like.  You can, however, change the person you are into the kind of person who doesn’t even like that stuff.  Sugar Smacks still taste the same as they did under Carter, but I don’t know anybody who still eats them.  Do the same for soda.

In medical school a lot of the guys (who went into ortho) went to the gym and would discuss with euphoria how much canned tuna they ate.  “There’s 15g of protein and zero fat!” they’d whisper to each other, and they’d sooner eat salamander eyes than lick a Dorito. That was the kind of guys they were.

This may not be a reassuring solution to some, but I can promise you that it is the only solution: you have to decide you’re not the kind of person who wastes time on that.  Condemning it, banning it, hiding from it– all will lead to failure. 

Join 25K+ readers. Get a free weekly update via email here.

Related posts:

What’s the most effective way to change your behavior and improve your life?

5 things you didn’t know about habits

What are the 5 steps for changing bad habits into good ones?

Share

Subscribe to the newsletter