Do you really know what will it take to make you happy?

Do you really know what will it take to make you happy?

Think about it and see if you can discover, or if you know, what it will take for you to be happy?

  • Will being in a relationship, or with the right boyfriend/girlfriend make you happy?
  • Will being married make you happy?
  • Will having a million pounds make you happy?
  • Will being successful make you happy?
  • Will having better health make you happy?
  • Will getting a new job make you happy?
  • Will having a great career make you happy?

If you think the answer is yes to any or all of the above questions, you’ll never find happiness!

Surprised? Well don’t be. The truth is nothing can make you happy. Happiness is something we feel, not something we can find.

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Being happy doesn’t depend on a particular outcome or something happening to you. There isn’t somewhere you can go and find happiness sitting there waiting for you.

Advertising of all sorts is designed to make you think that a new car, a particular skin cream, a new outfit, some new shoes, a drink or a new diet will make you happy, but that is simply not true. Nothing can make you happy because happiness is a feeling. Happiness is something you experience.

If you want to be happy, then be happy. Most people don’t choose to be happy because they spend most of their time focusing on what they perceive is wrong with their life.

Think about it, you can’t be happy doing something that you don’t like. If you don’t believe me try it. Try doing something you despise and see if you can be happy at the same time. Trust me, you won’t be happy doing something you don’t enjoy!

You also can’t do something you really enjoy and be sad or angry. Don’t believe me? Try it. See what happens. Go and try doing something you really enjoy and see if you’re angry or miserable at the same time. That really doesn’t work.

Unfortunately, people believe they can be happy when they achieve a particular goal and make the mistake of chasing that goal in order to be happy. It’s really not achieving the goal that makes them happy. It’s the feeling of achieving the goal that provides another feeling, satisfaction perhaps,  that is mistaken for happiness.

This mistake is quite common, because it’s not security or peace of mind that makes you happy. You experience happiness when you do what you enjoy and when you focus on the positive things taking place in your life. If you’re not doing that then you can never be happy.  Don’t think that you can be happy just by having something.

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You can experience happiness by achieving your particular goal,  by doing what you enjoy, having fun while achieving your goals and choosing the right goals, the kind that allow you to be happy all the time.  Focus on what you want.

Start doing the things that you enjoy. Look at the positive things that are going on in your life. Direct your mind and subconscious mind to help you experience happiness every day. This will start once you begin to appreciate the good things in your life.

Okay so how can you begin to be happy? It’s really quite simple, all you have to do is shift your focus.

Instead of looking at all that is wrong with your life, instead of looking at what you don’t like about yourself or your life; constantly criticising; change your focus. Start appreciating all that is good in your life. You will probably find there are many things you appreciate.

Make a list if you want and write out all of the positive things in your life. Usually someone will say: “Maggie, I can’t think of anything positive or good in my life. I just want to be happy.” That’s only because you are not seeing all the positive things in your life.  And so you’ll never be happy.

Every day there are wonderful things taking place in your life, yet you fail to observe and recognise them. You tend to take them for granted.  This can be anything – a hot  meal, a wonderful spouse, family, a beautiful flower, lambs playing in a field –  If you have a roof over your head, that’s a positive aspect of your life.

Start looking at all of the great and terrific things that are going on in your life and you’ll begin to experience happiness on a deeper level. You can begin to improve or change the areas that you are not happy with but at the same time you should acknowledge the good things that are going on in your life.

Your mind is used to only paying attention to what is going wrong and in the process it directs the subconscious mind to continue creating more of those things that are going wrong. You actually create more of what makes you unhappy.

Why?

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Because your subconscious creates what you regularly think about. So if you don’t regularly focus on the positive things you won’t create positive situations in your life.

And here’s where it gets worse.  When you constantly focus on what is wrong with your life, when you only think about and see what is wrong in your life your subconscious begins to create more of what is wrong or more of what you don’t want because it thinks that you want more.

Now you know why it can be so difficult for some people to truly experience happiness, it’s because they’re used to focusing on the negative aspects of life and in the end continue to create more of what they don’t want.

In order to change all of this you have to begin training the mind and re-directing the subconscious mind to begin creating what you want in life and to focus on the good things that are taking place in your life.

Begin experiencing happiness by changing your focus. Every day think of the positive things that are going on in your life. Make a list of all the wonderful things that are taking place in your life.

Think of at least 3 great things that happened to you, they can be small or large – but just appreciate 3 good things that happened during the day. Focus on the positive. Direct your mind and subconscious mind by changing your perspective so you experience happiness everyday

Too often I hear from people who simply want to be happy but when I ask them what they do for fun they say: “Nothing.” No wonder you’re not happy. How can you be happy if you’re never having fun in life?

If you want to experience happiness then start doing things that you enjoy.  You may like gardening; you may like hang gliding, you may like riding your bike, you may enjoy going for long walks, you may enjoy acting like a 5-year old – whatever it is start doing it and see how great you feel.

But there is one catch when you’re doing what you enjoy, you can only focus on that and not think about anything else that may be bothering you. That’s the only way you’ll truly enjoy the activity and begin to experience happiness.

As adults we get bogged down with the everyday tasks that force us to be serious. We have jobs where we’re serious, bills to pay, food to prepare, children to look after, it’s all too serious and it is necessary. I’m not suggesting you ignore your responsibilities – but take some time just to have some fun.

Now you can’t just have fun once a week or once a month. You have to do this every day. It can be for just 5 minutes a day if you like.  That means every day you have to find something fun to do, and only then will you get comfortable and used to the process to the point where you regularly experience happiness. Once you start doing this you’ll enjoy it so much you’ll wonder why you never did this to begin with.

If you don’t feel you have the time to have fun and enjoy your life then you’re really saying that your happiness is not important enough. Only when you decide to be happy will you truly begin to experience happiness. You can work with the techniques I’ve outlined – they will help you get started. But you will need to train your mind and subconscious mind to begin seeing and living in a different way.

 

 Maggie Currie

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© Maggie Currie and Maggie Currie Coaching, 2011-2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Maggie Currie and MaggieCurrie.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

 

 

Fast forward 1 year – what do you see for yourself?

How would you like to see yourself in a year’s time?  Would it be the same as now, or with slight changes or a whole new look?

Currently my life is:

  • My relationship with myself looks pretty good at the moment. I treat myself with respect and gratitude and take notice of the good thoughts, I acknowledge the not so good thoughts and endeavour to take no notice them beyond that.
  • My thoughts are generally positive but occasionally a negative thought will creep in. This is normal for everyone.
  • My relationship with my husband is fantastic, we love and respect each other and make each other laugh.
  • My relationship with my mother is good, we see each other fairly regularly, my father passed away some years ago, but is always in my heart and mind.
  • My relationship with two of my children is virtually non-existent (their choice which I respect) and with the third it is quite long distance and variable.
  • My physical health is pretty good, I am slightly overweight and making an effort to change this and I currently feel great.
  • My finances are reasonably okay, but could of course be a lot better. Bank account is in the black and the cash flow is restricted.
  • My business world consists of coaching, I am self-employed and an entrepreneur. I am the business.
  • I am peaceful in my life, asking the Universe for what I want, although I could ask more often. I don’t meditate.
  • For fun I work at pop festivals and trade by offering Indian head massage to all the punters at the festivals.
  • I take time for myself every day, even if it is only 5 minutes.

‘Get back to me retreat’ Friday March 15th to Sunday March 17th 2013

In a year’s time I see for me:

  • An even better relationship with myself.
  • Fewer negative thoughts creeping in.
  • A continuing fantastic relationship with my husband.
  • A great relationship with my mother.
  • A better relationship with my daughter.
  • Better health, less overweight.
  • Fabulous finances.
  • Business booming.
  • Peaceful in life and asking and receiving more from the Universe.
  • Still enjoying pop festivals.
  • My third book published.
  • Taking more time for myself every day.

Take a few moments to think about your future.  Is there anything you would like to see differently? What are you prepared to do to bring about those changes?

If you need help get in touch today and we can get a date in the diary for a chat.

 

 Maggie Currie

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© Maggie Currie and Maggie Currie Coaching, 2011-2016. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Maggie Currie and maggiecurrie.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Are you really conscious of your thoughts?

You are constantly barraged, from the minute you open your eyes and ears in the morning until the minute you close your eyes and ears at night, with information – facts and figures, fiction, half-truths, music, news, stories, half-heard conversations, pictures and images. This information comes from parents, siblings, relatives, newspapers, magazines, school, college, university, colleagues, television, radio, advertising posters, books, magazines, films, fellow passengers, articles – the list is endless.  And this has been happening since the day you were born.

You would be surprised at how much information you absorb each week.

To prove just how much information you absorb each week and from how many sources, make a list of all the publications you read, the television programmes you regularly watch, the newspapers you subscribe to, the radio broadcasts you listen to and so on.

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Are you surprised at the length of your list?

How much of that information that you have listed do you think is having a positive effect on your life? Make a note in your notebook.

How much do you think is having a negative effect on your life? Again, make a note.

I bet the second list is far longer than the first. 

You filter all the information you receive (whether you realise it or not) and you think you either store it away for future use (you believe it) or discard it as useless (you choose not to believe it).  But, unbeknown to you, your subconscious mind will store all the information away, just in case, whether, in your conscious mind, you think you believe it or not.  Your subconscious mind has remembered everything you have ever seen or heard since the minute you were born.  Your subconscious mind has very kindly done this for you without you even knowing.

Think about it, you see a poster flash by you and the information on that poster is absorbed into your mind in an instant.   You may not even have realised that the information has been registered.  So what you believe today could be entirely based on something you read on that poster this morning.  Alternatively your beliefs could be based on something that is hidden deep down in your subconscious mind that you thought you had forgotten about, but in actual fact it has been lurking there for many years, thanks to your subconscious mind.

Still don’t believe me? 

Well let’s take an example – it is possible that when you started infant school you could have been told by your very first teacher, when you were just five years old, that you would find it difficult to keep up with your school work because, at the grand old age of five, you couldn’t sit still for more than ten minutes, and therefore you were perceived as not paying attention.  Although we all know that it is possible for you to have been walking around and still listening to the teacher.  That teacher labelled you, at that very young age, as non-attentive.  Now this belief has been stored away in your subconscious mind for many years, whether you realise it or not, and it is quite possible that, because of this stored information, you did find it difficult to keep up. You were told it, you believed it and you made it a reality.

But what if that teacher had known that because you were only five years old it was entirely possible that you could listen as well as fidget, and that teacher had never made the negative comment in the first place?  Your subconscious mind would not have been able to store that information away for many years because it would have been totally unaware.  Would you have even thought that you couldn’t keep up with the school work?  And would it have become a reality?  I think not.

What if you had been told by that same teacher, when you were the grand old age of five, that you were very talented and that you would have absolutely no trouble at all learning?  Would your reality have been different?

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Yes it would!  You would have found it easy to keep up with your schoolwork because you believed that you were talented and had no trouble learning and therefore your reality would have been totally different.

So whether you like to believe it or not, your subconscious mind rules your reality.

What a thought!

Maggie’s note:  I was told when I was at school, at the ripe old age of eleven, that I was average and would never be clever and that I would be better off going to a comprehensive school rather than a high school, as I probably wouldn’t be able to keep up with the work.  I was sent to a private school, all girls, because my parents didn’t want me to go to a comprehensive school (what would the neighbours think?) and left at age 16 with excellent exam passes in commerce, typewriting, shorthand, office arithmetic, accounts, office practice and English.  I started work as a shorthand typist with a large insurance company in London and within four years was a personal secretary for a department head and supervisor of the typing pool.  I wasn’t average at all, but my teachers had assessed me as average. 

Does this resonate with you? What are your experiences where you have been labelled?

Maggie Currie

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Finding my emotions and feelings

A few years ago I was working my way through a relationship programme and my fabulous coach, Heather Williams, and I  discovered I had a block.

We discovered I couldn’t express my emotions or feel my feelings in a way that I felt is right for me. Having been brought up from a very early age to not show anger and not allowed to show emotions it had become a habit which was now time to break. As a child I was also told that I should be seen and not heard. I was working on unblocking my emotions and feeling my feelings.

My coach had given me an exercise to do to work on one emotion at a time and I began with fear. Here is the exercise that I was given:

Draw a doorway with the door ajar. Behind the door is your emotions. Imagine standing with your hand on the doorknob about to push or pull it right open.

What emotion would come flying out first? Write down one emotion you want to work on.

Imagine what you feel. Go back to a time when you felt that emotion. How it affects the body and mind, heart – feel it physically. Try and get in touch with the emotions and feelings. Write about what happens.

door

 This is what I wrote about this experience.

The first emotion would be fear – fear of what is behind the door.

How does fear feel to me?
I remember being about 8 years old. I had been to a party for a school friend’s birthday. I had been taken to the party by my mum in the daylight. I know it wasn’t far from home, about 15 minutes by foot. The party was over and one of the parents collecting their child had a car and they said they would take me home. It was dark by now. I had never been allowed out of my street on my own, and I had no sense of direction. The person driving the car looked at me and asked me where I lived and I told her the address. She started the car and we drove around for a little while, about 5 minutes I suppose, she then asked me where the road was that I lived in, were we near it? I had no idea whatsoever as it was dark, I was small and could barely see out of the window of the car. She said I must know where I lived and where my road was. I was petrified that I would never get home and that she would think that I was stupid.

I wasn’t stupid, it was just that I had no idea where home was and how to get to it. I remember starting to shake and shiver, and tears came into my eyes. I probably looked like a scared rabbit. Her child was in the car too and she was laughing at how I couldn’t find my own house. They didn’t realise that I had not be allowed out by myself anywhere and had no notion of how to get home.

I remember being frightened and embarrassed at the same time. We eventually got home and my mum said thank you to whoever it was driving and they explained that I didn’t know the way and then everyone was told that I had no sense of direction and therefore I couldn’t be let out on my own. So apparently it was my fault or so I thought at the time.

So fear to me is sweaty palms, more rapid breathing, sometimes shaking and frequently the feeling that I need to wee, even though I know I don’t. I begin to feel unsure of myself and that just increases the fear and those symptoms just increase.

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Heather Williams

 After doing this and sending it by email to my coach we had a long chat about it via Skype – I am in UK and she was in Australia. So it was 7am BST and 4pm in Australia. Heather commented that she was pleased that I had written about the effects of the fear and that she felt I had connected well with my fears and emotions.

This was a huge breakthrough for me. Thank you to my coach and thank you relationship programme. I am feeling my feelings and unblocking and expressing my emotions and and improving my relationship with me.

 

Maggie Currie 

 

The SELF workshop – the aftermath

The SELF workshop went very well. There were around 26 people in the room and all seemed to learn something, whether that was about themselves, their situation or their future plans.

I had some wonderful feedback too and will share this with you. I asked people to write on a post it note at the end of the workshop what they felt about it, and to stick it on the door as they left.  All comments were positive which is very gratifying for me as I had put a lot of work into this workshop.

The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly.  I got to chat with every single one who came along, and after a little while they really began to get into it and were coming up with answers and experiences.

feedback

As we worked through the workbook, there were a few people who started to realise that they hadn’t been thinking about what they needed in life, they had been too busy pleasing other people. We talked a lot about energy, emotional energy spent on worrying, stressing etc.  And we found ways that we could reduce this.

We also talked about life and how although we exist, we shouldn’t just exist we should live our lives with vigour.

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We talked about freedom and giving ourselves permission to  live our lives as we want for ourselves.  There was a general feeling that often we didn’t allow ourselves to be who we are because we can hide behind a persona in some way or another, whether that be the role we have at work or how we think we are perceived.

And then we created vision boards of how we want our lives to look and what goals we want to achieve.  They were excellent with some people knowing exactly what they want, and some not quite so sure.

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All in all a good time was had by everyone, including myself.  Some of the attendees shared their vision boards and explained what it meant to them, others wanted to keep theirs private.

I am looking forward to the next one now with even more excitement.

If you would like to attend one of my workshops, or would like to coach with me, get in touch today.

Maggie Currie

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S.E.L.F. – Strength Energy Life Freedom

It is now only one week until the workshop and as of this moment there are just 4 tickets remaining.  I am so pleased that so many of you have booked to come along and learn the secret of SELF.

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As a special gift to all who attend on 15th September I am offering each of you a FREE half hour consultation where we can chat about you have learned about yourself on the workshop and how you would like to take action to move forwards in your life.

You have three choices following the workshop.  The first of them I really hope you don’t make and that is doing nothing.  I hope I will have inspired you to make some changes in your life. The other two choices are that you may want to have one-to-one coaching with me, or you may want to take my ‘7 Stepping Stones to Confidence’ programme.

Life doesn’t have to remain the same.  It is never too late to start reaching your full potential.

Click here if you would like one of the remaining tickets.

 

freedom

I am really looking forward to meeting you all.

 

Maggie Currie

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Are you really conscious of your thoughts?

You are constantly barraged, from the minute you open your eyes and ears in the morning until the minute you close your eyes and ears at night, with information – facts and figures, fiction, half-truths, music, news, stories, half-heard conversations, pictures and images. This information comes from parents, siblings, relatives, newspapers, magazines, school, college, university, colleagues, television, radio, advertising posters, books, magazines, films, fellow passengers, articles – the list is endless.  And this has been happening since the day you were born.

You would be surprised at how much information you absorb each week.

To prove just how much information you absorb each week and from how many sources, make a list of all the publications you read, the television programmes you regularly watch, the newspapers you subscribe to, the radio broadcasts you listen to and so on.

iStock_000004706304XSmall (2)

Are you surprised at the length of your list?

How much of that information that you have listed do you think is having a positive effect on your life?

How much do you think is having a negative effect on your life? Again, make a note.

I bet the second list is far longer than the first.

You filter all the information you receive (whether you realise it or not) and you think you either store it away for future use (you believe it) or discard it as useless (you choose not to believe it).  But, unbeknown to you, your subconscious mind will store all the information away, just in case, whether, in your conscious mind, you think you believe it or not.  Your subconscious mind has remembered everything you have ever seen or heard since the minute you were born.  Your subconscious mind has very kindly done this for you without you even knowing.

Think about it, you see a poster flash by you and the information on that poster is absorbed into your mind in an instant.   You may not even have realised that the information has been registered.  So what you believe today could be entirely based on something you read on that poster this morning.  Alternatively your beliefs could be based on something that is hidden deep down in your subconscious mind that you thought you had forgotten about, but in actual fact it has been lurking there for many years, thanks to your subconscious mind.

This is an excerpt from my book “What you believe creates your reality”.  When you want to learn more, buy it, read it, take action – change your life. Click here to make your purchase.

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If you’re ready to take control of your life, you have two ways you can work with me to solve your problems and regain your joy of living: One to one coaching, 7 Steps to Self Confidence Programme.

As a result of coaching with me you will grow into a new you.  You will grow in confidence, self esteem and self belief. You will become self-reliant and you’ll begin to trust and value yourself.

You will discover how to bounce back when life knocks you down and how to gain the valuable lessons from all of life’s experiences.

You will start to live the life you really want to live rather than one forced upon you by other people and circumstances.

Does that sound like something you’d like to experience?

 

I know that coaching and mindset changes work to change your life which is why I’m willing to guarantee my coaching.  If you feel your life has not changed for the better as a result of working with me then I will refund your investment.

You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. Call me today (+44) 1983 754 666 and let’s start your life transformation.

 

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

Coaching you to become the very best version of you so you can have more fun, live a better life and enjoy your work.

 

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S.E.L.F. – F – Freedom

What does freedom mean to you?

The dictionary definition is: ‘The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants’. It also says ‘The right to follow one’s own beliefs in matters of religion and morality’.

We all deserve the freedom to be who we are, which includes acting, speaking and thinking as we want, without fear of criticism, chastisement, ridicule, admonishment and anything else people can throw at us. We are all free to believe in whichever god we choose, or not to believe. We are all free to implement our own moral standards without judgement by others or of others.

We are all free to determine what we will wear, whether we will wear make up or not, how we like our hair to be done etc. Without that freedom we can very easily become slaves to the views of other people and lose sight of our own identity. Come along to my workshop and find out more about how you can achieve your freedom.

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Remember, you don’t need anyone else’s permission to be you.  Be proud of who you are, stand tall and don’t hide in the background – that is not where you are meant to be.

  In September I am presenting a FREE workshop and freedom is one of the topics included.  Click here to book your ticket today and learn more about the secret of SELF.

 

Maggie Currie

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S.E.L.F – L – Life

What does life mean to you?

The dictionary definition is “The existence of an individual human being or animal”.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to just exist, I want to live my life with vigour and energy, to enjoy being in existence and to live my life to the full.

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How can we all do that?  We can do that by choosing our thoughts, as they affect how we feel and in fact affect our whole body. How, you may well ask?

Well, the smallest unit of life is called an organism.  Organisms are composed of cells.  And our bodies are made up of millions of cells, each and every one of them attuned to what we are thinking, feeling, saying, hearing etc.

In fact, when we are thinking that we are feeling weak, all our cells in our bodies respond by being weak.  However, when we are thinking that we are feeling strong, all our cells in our bodies respond by being strong. Likewise, when we are feeling tired, full of energy, miserable, happy or any other feelings you can imagine, our cells are responding in the same way.

So the state of our lives is dependent upon making sure that every one of our cells in our bodies is working to our benefit and that is where feeling positive, confident and happy with our lives makes such a difference to our whole being, from the inside out. Be aware of what you are thinking and feeling, it makes a huge difference.

 In September I am presenting a FREE workshop and life is one of the topics included.  Click here to book your ticket today and learn more about the secret of SELF.

 

Maggie Currie

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How to break bad habits

What are your bad habits? First you have to identify the habits that you want to break.  The ones you really don’t want to hang to. The ones you consider to be bad habits.

  • Smoking?
  • Talking too much?
  • Drinking?
  • Untidiness?

Whether it’s that perpetual pile of clothes in the corner you’re waiting to someday turn into gold, a self-proclaimed disability which renders you unable to refrain from interrupting, or a knack for timing your exit just so, so that someone else is continually left to do the washing up, now’s the time to extinguish these habits before they turn into next year’s resolutions.

Here are some of the reasons why.

1.      It’s not fair to others. One of the great universal laws ruling our wonderful planet says that you get back what you put out there.

Do you want others to be kind and considerate to you?  Then start putting the considerate, kind vibes out there and pick up your clothes, do the washing up, and stop interrupting or whatever it is you or a collective “others” define as a bad habit.

2.    It’s not fair to you.  I’m sure you’re a nice person, and you pride yourself on having generous, warmhearted traits.  So, it’s not fair to you either that this simple, little, annoying thing you do can wield the power that it now, or will soon have.

These tiny culprits have been known to ruin marriages, friendships, and cause the downfall of many a mighty person.  Plus you’ll feel better about yourself.

3.   Your success depends on it. Bad habits have a funny way of scope and context creep.

First they only happen in certain situations, and the next thing you know, you’re at a business function swirling your fingers through the chip dip. Put an end to it now before situations that require your utmost polish become tarnished by these terribly annoying little monsters.

4.   You probably don’t like it when others do the same thing. Think about it.  If someone did the same thing to you, would it bother you?

 How do I know I am in a relationship that is bad for me?

Be honest.

Sometimes all it takes is a simple exercise in empathy to find the motivation to quit whatever it is we could benefit from stopping.

5.   List your own reasons. But be sincere and totally honest.

What is it costing you to perpetuate these habits?

Whether it’s a moment of peace, seemingly perpetual nagging, or simple anxiety resulting from anticipation of the next blow-up or negative comment, you owe it to yourself to commit to your ongoing personal development, and to the elimination of any behaviour whose costs far outweigh the benefits.

 

So how do you begin?

Just like breaking a smoking habit, bad habits have a way of creeping up on us and slowly over time becoming somewhat akin to an appendage—i.e. they’re hard to get rid of.

Here are some tips for breaking these bad habits:

Start small: 

While it might not be reasonable to expect that you can just stop whatever you’re doing overnight, identify what might constitute as a small step in the right direction? Write down what that step is and carry it out over the next 21 days.

For example, if you are smoking 40 a day, cut that down to 20 for the next 21 days.  Make that behaviour a habit before you cut that down to 15 for the next 21 days and then 10 and so on.

 Commit: 

Make a commitment to yourself that you will make this shift, and if reinforcement and punishment works—use it!  Think about how you might reward yourself for making the change.  Or, consider how you might penalise yourself if you don’t.

For instance in our smoking example. Put the money you would have spent on the cigarettes in a jar and at the end of the 21 days add it all up and buy yourself a treat for example.

From cutting down to 20 smokes a day from 40 smokes a day, over a 21-day period at £8 a packet that will save you £168 in just 3 weeks!

Also, write two lists, one of the reasons why you are doing this and also a list of the things that you will miss out on if you keep on doing your bad habit.

Identify alternatives:

What are some alternatives to the behaviour you are demonstrating? Is there a quick fix or solution that might help provide an alternative—e.g. put a laundry basket by the bedside (one to match with the décor) so that you don’t end up with a pile on the floor.

Get help: 

Ask someone to help keep you accountable.  If they’ve been victims of this bad habit, they’ll most likely be thrilled you asked! Or seek professional help from a coach or mentor who will definitely hold you accountable. A coach will be non-judgemental and will offer you praise when it is due.

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 Ask for feedback: 

Because human nature dictates that we will only complain when you offend, rather than amend, ask for feedback frequently.

Don’t assume, no news is good news, but be sure to get praise when praise is due. Remember to reward yourself when you achieve your short term goals, your medium term goals and your long term goals.  It doesn’t have to be something expensive, although it can be.  It could be a cream tea by the sea, or a cup of coffee, or a small box of chocolates.  You decide what your rewards will be and make sure you reward yourself.

I am here to help, so call me and we can talk about how I can help you.

 

Maggie Currie

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