Part 15: Breaking Free From Bad Habits

Join Charlie Harary in this captivating episode as he equips you with practical tools to break free from bad habits and cultivate a life filled with intentional actions and personal growth.

In this podcast episode, Charlie delves into the topic of breaking bad habits and provides valuable insights and strategies to overcome them. He emphasizes the importance of understanding and manipulating the cues that trigger these habits. One powerful technique is deferring the cue, allowing you to pause and make a conscious choice instead of succumbing to the habit impulsively.

Charlie shares a personal example of identifying a cue that led to unhelpful behaviors during negotiations. By recognizing the trigger, he implemented a simple but effective change of cue: pausing and writing something down instead of reacting emotionally. This shift prevented him from continuing the same pattern and improved his communication in those situations.

When it comes to dealing with the routine of a habit, Charlie suggests making it unattractive or more difficult to engage in. For example, applying Vaseline to your nails if you have a habit of biting them or involving others in your habit to make it less enjoyable or private. Additionally, you can adjust the routine by finding alternatives that provide a similar experience without the negative impact. Charlie shares examples such as switching to decaf coffee or chewing nicotine gum instead of smoking.

Furthermore, Charlie addresses the aftermath of engaging in a negative habit and the tendency to downplay its impact or shift blame onto others. He advises allowing yourself to feel the guilt or discomfort that arises after engaging in such behavior and not dismissing it. By truly experiencing the negative emotions, you create stronger neural connections that can serve as reminders when faced with similar triggers in the future. This anticipatory awareness helps you make better choices and avoid repeating past mistakes.

By implementing these strategies and simultaneously focusing on building positive habits, you can gradually transform your behavior and reduce the influence of negative patterns. This approach involves marginal gains in the positive direction while pruning and reducing the impact of negative habits. As a result, your brain becomes more equipped to make conscious and empowering choices in key moments.

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