Hello! Seiiti Arata. If there’s a habit you would like to change, substitute, create or get rid of, you know it can be difficult. But it is not impossible. And you probably know what are the benefits behind this attitude.
So, let’s do a visualization exercise. Close your eyes, but keep listening to the video. Now, try to imagine a marble Roman statue. Look at all the details of its face. Look at the rock corroded by time. Now, imagine you touch the statue. Feel the texture and the temperature of the statue. Keep with your eyes closed. Now, try to make that image disappear.
This may be difficult to do; you may still be able to see that statue. Notice how even by putting all your concentration on that thought, you cannot make that image disappear.
Keep with your eyes closed. Now imagine a black horse running on the desert. Feel the heat of the environment. Listen to the horse trot. Listen to the wind blowing… Now, tell me: where did that statue go? The statue disappeared from your consciousness as soon as you changed your focus and started thinking of the horse in the desert.
This is the effect we are going to use to change our habits. Instead of forcing ourselves to make that habit disappear, we are going to substitute it with another, more positive habit.
1. Having a clear idea of what we want.
Before we start, I’d like to thank you and congratulate you for watching this video. Because that means you are willing to change your habits. Will: That’s the first step. To know what is your intention. You managed to overcome the ‘lack of awareness’ stage. You had some habits, but you were not aware of the problems it entailed.
But now, you have a new vision. You know that your life could by better if you changed this habit You are now able to see the positive impacts the new habit will bring. But, if it’s still not clear enough, take a couple of minutes to think about the consequences of changing the habit in question. That is the first step. To have a clear idea of what you want, and what the consequences will be. It is very important that you do this to continue.
If you would like to take a step further, take the notebook you use for these videos. Take you rpen, as well, and write: “I need to change this habit because…”
Answer clearly what is the habit you want to change. Asl, write why you want to change it By doing this, you will enter an active mental state. This will increase your level of awareness.
2. Go to the full video on how to change your habits.
Visit the link http://arata.se/ebookhabits to see the full explanation. You can also download a free ebook on that link. I’ll try to make a quick summary about all that content for you:
Every habit is made up of three components. The trigger, the action and the reward. The trigger is that which starts all the process of the habit. It can be a sound, an image, a smell, a feeling… anything that puts you in a mental mode to perform that action. The action is the thing you want to change. It is the action you perform repeatedly This is what makes the habit to go on and on.
It is also very important to understand what’s the reward. What do you do that action for? What’s your motivation? What’s the benefit you are looking for?
Example: someone who bites his nails. Let’s suppose the trigger is anxiety. The act of bitting his nails brings a reward in the form of relief from that initial anxiety. But as we now, this causes problems in the long term.
Once you understand the three aspects of the nature of the habit, you can create a new, more positive habit. You can look for different ways to deal with anxiety. For example, you can talk to a friend, read about something you like, take a walk, etc. You can create a positive habit to change that negative habit.
Remember what I mentioned at the beginning of this video; the example of the statue and the black horse. You want to find a new positive habit. And remember to be clear what you want to change, and what for.
3. Monitor your progress.
Changing habits requires patience and persistence. After all, habits are created through a lot of repetition. If you are clear what you are doing, the substitution will be easier the substitution easier. But, if you are tired, in a rush, angry… then it would be harder. You could even end up going back to your old habit. But don’t worry. You can do it better next time.
It’s good to keep a track of your change. Right down in your agenda the times in which you were able to do things following the new habit. Also, write down the times in which you followed the old habit.
That will help your brain to be more clear about the changes you want to implement.
By watching our videos, taking notes, and doing the exercises, you are taking part of bigger process, did you know that? You are investing in your personal development. Through personal development, you use your reasoning capacity to be more clear about things. You start to understand what you want and what you don’t want for your life. Through this clarification, you start making better decisions to improve your quality of life.
This can be a very simple process, and it is extremely powerful and rewarding. That’s why we have a quick course on this topic. I want to teach you the minimum you need to know about personal development. So, I’d like to invite you to learn more; just click on the following link: https://arata.se/personaldevelopment