HOW TO UNDO BAD HABITS
Many people decline to do better because they confuse habit with character. For instance, some people from Western Uganda where I come from are unapologetically rude, claiming that that’s how God created them. I used to be one of those people. This was in addition to several other bad habits that I was comfortably practicing, claiming that it’s just who I am.
In 2018, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and do a complete overhaul of my way of life. Luckily, I landed on a very good life coach. The first thing he told me during our initial encounter was that I must agree to a total mindset shift-the paradigm shift he called it. Secondly, he warned me against giving excuses and challenged me to own up and take responsibility for my actions. It sounded cliché but I took it seriously because I was desperate for my life to take a different direction.
There are many habits I painstakingly stopped practicing and others that I picked up during the process of personal growth. I started waking up early, and reading relentlessly. I stopped being judgmental, increased my gratitude, respect, and honor… the list is endless because I was intentional about changing.
Of course, these changes didn’t happen at once. They happened in small increments as a result of making better choices every day. For instance, I decided to start having the magical power hour-a concept I picked from our coaching sessions. Basically, the magical power hour is an important early hour of the day which is supposed to be used to energize and prepare you for setoff. It’s like an airport runaway.
I started getting up an hour before the kids’ waking up time to harness this power without noise and disruptions. This completely changed my life. I managed my weight and became a more positive person.
To date, I wake up before dawn, pray, read the word of God, exercise as I drink lemon and ginger warm water, do some reading and learning before I set off for the day.
I learnt that what you do with this first hour is very important; it translates to how your day will turn out. If you begin your day with reading the news, especially these days when there is a lot going on in the world, I guarantee that you will start your day on a bad note.
One thing about undoing bad habits is that you must be willing to make major changes without giving excuses. I have heard some people say that they cannot wake up early because they are not morning people- I’m a living example that this is total hogwash.
A habit is a choice that we deliberately make every day, it’s not inborn. You decide when to wake up, what to eat, when to go for a jog, etc). Any habit can be learned and unlearned.
To change a habit is not instant, it must be slow, gradual and intentional. Have rhythms, and a routine, and harness the power within you. Don’t look to anyone else.
In his book ‘The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business’ Charles Duhigg says, “There’s nothing you can’t do if you get the habits right.”
