There are quite a few practices in our life that are so incorporated in our daily routine that we rarely point them as “harming”.
It goes to the point where we can’t even tell if those practices are a potential threat to your growth or not.
And since we’re not aware of them, we don’t have the motivation to break it.
And even if with some miraculous self-reflection we figure out what’s what, we find it challenging to get rid of it that easily.
Happens to the best of us!
You may have already heard the lines that go,” It takes 21 days to create a habit and 90 days to create a lifestyle“. But what about the habits that you need to stop and get rid of?
How do I un-habit a habit?
Where developing positive habits takes a lot of effort, developing not-so-good habits don’t really take any effort, it just happens, and it doesn’t take 21 days.
Kind of like the starting point of an avalanche, harmless and small in the beginning but can turn lethal and unstoppable in no time.
And since these habits inhibit you from growing and living you your best life, discarding them from your lifestyle might be in your best interest.
Our brain loves to reduce its workload, once it learns to do something and does it over and over, it doesn’t need to think about it anymore.
It becomes a routine.
This is why it is really important to choose the right thing to do over and over which later might become a routine.
But again, nobody’s perfect and you too might already have some habits (that you may or may not be aware of) you need to stop, like ASAP!
So I’ve compiled a few habits for you to stop immediately for a better lifestyle.
Here Are 5 Habits, You Need To Stop Right Now!
1: Don’t Just settle, keep striving for better!
Let me ask you a simple question,
Whenever you’re foreseeing into the future or being a little imaginative on how your life should be in the next few years, is it the same as your current situation?
Probably not!
It is usually a better upscale of your present lifestyle.
The way you live, the way you maintain relationships, the way you make/spend your money, EVERYTHING!
So when it comes to putting in the work, making things happen, to make it a reality, why do most of us shy away from the required hard work and just settle for the norm?
Why do we keep telling ourselves that “Maybe it’s not for me“?
For example: You’re just learned a YouTuber makes whopping $200,000 per year from their videos.
Seeing this made you really fascinated and you thought about giving it a try but after a few minutes, you’re like “Nah! I don’t have the skills, charm and the required knowledge to pull this off“.
well, that is a perfect mindset to have to begin something that is out of your comfort zone! (sarcastically speaking)
Don’t just keep telling yourself that you don’t know how to do this specific thing and just move on with your regular life, just because you’re too afraid to put up with the extra workload that comes with it.
Start by telling “I don’t know this YET“, and always take required action after that, and see your life turning around!
2: Completely Ditch the Concept of Tomorrow
Most of the time, procrastination gets the best of us, and it becomes easier to say “I’ll do it tomorrow”.
In whichever stage you’re in your life right now, if it has strict deadlines, the job gets done even at the very last minute.
But the real problem comes for the things that don’t have a definitive deadline like-
- Getting in shape
- Eating healthy
- Starting that awesome business idea
- Learn something new…Literally anything with no deadlines
Since these don’t have any deadline to ignite your panic, you just keep avoiding it until it seems impossible!
Always keep in mind that,
Inaction breeds Doubt!
That this a powerful statement. And if you ask me, I have experienced this way too many times.
If you really think about it, inaction breeds doubt and fear, whereas proper action builds confidence while creating several opportunities at the same time.
And the more you avoid it, the more difficult it seems, the more doubt you build up in yourself and you become more paralyzed to start anything.
If you really think about the situation, you’re putting off the required work thinking it’ll be done by your tomorrow (future) self.
If you continue with this mindset, then your future self will too have the tendency to leave it to its future self and at the end of it all, there will be zero progress whatsoever.
So to cope with inaction, one thing you can do is to take action without giving your brain a chance to overthink.
So, shut your lazy mind, and get to work right NOW. Like, NOW!
3: Don’t Put off Building a Side Hustle
I’ve always been a believer that most of our problems (related to Education, lifestyle, relationships, and everything in life in general), will be solved only if we were financially sound!
If you’re living Paycheck-to-paycheck, you know how it feels, not the best, I assume!
Especially, if you have any debt to your name.
The idea of having a side hustle is not just about having more money, it is also about having a secondary source of income which might later help you in ways that you don’t see coming. For example:
- Sudden financial emergency (medical, car repair, home repair, education, etc).
- If you want to quit your job (having a side hustle is like something to fall back on).
- It gives a sense of freedom (which is priceless).
- It helps you cope with job loss.
- To be able to help your family/friends in need. And so much more…
You might think, How the hell do I start a side hustle? I can’t afford any high upfront investment cost, plus I don’t have time to do all this.
Well, there are some side hustle ideas you can try that requires zero to minimal upfront investment. All you need to do is start a side hustle and give it the necessary time and effort.
4: Don’t be Your Worst Enemy
You probably might think, “how can you become your own worst enemy?”, most of us too will not believe that!
But at times the root cause of your problems maybe you. We often create problems for ourselves that weren’t there in the first place.
And it is almost next to impossible for people to admit that.
Through the continuous repetition of certain thought patterns in our daily life, we develop some habits that might not be very helpful to grow and develop.
What those “thought patterns” might be?
Well, for starters, Procrastination, the inability to take action, no desire to change, living in self-pity, etc are a few examples that come from within but are really harmful, in both short and long term.
Playing the blame game is also a prime example. Some of us like to blame rather than taking responsibility. They blame people, situations, timing, luck, economy, etc so that they don’t have to feel accountable for their own mistakes.
These habits may have taken you this far in life but it won’t let you anymore prosper in any field.
In order to thrive in any stage in your life, you have to make some major lifestyle changes.
Your future self is watching you right now through their memories, make sure it is a positive, proud and inspiring memory.
5: Don’t Surround Yourself With the Wrong People
Wrong people? What “wrong people” are you talking about? Well,
- The ones who constantly complain!
- The ones who are not pumped to pursue their dreams
- The ones who always talk sh*t about others!
- The ones who hinder you from any progress
- And certainly, the people who don’t support you and bring the best in you!
Anyway, you get the point!
Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said,
“We become the average of the five people we spend most of our time with”
In my opinion, I don’t think the only “immediate five people” have an influence on our life, it is rather big.
You’re the average of all the people who surround you, directly or indirectly.
Directly as in your Parents, friends, spouse, kids, colleagues, etc, and indirectly are the personalities you watch on YouTube, follow on Instagram, etc.
Even a mild interaction with anyone can have a major influence on you!
So take a look around you and make sure you’re in the right surroundings. If it’s not uplifting, inspiring, or positive, you need to find a new one or find a positive way to deal with them.
Perhaps this change might turn your life for the better.
A Few Final words…
Dumping any habit is never easy, but a little bit of effort in the right direction can take us very far. So hang in there and give it your best.
And Cheers to the habits that uplift us, not hurt us!