If you want to learn how to get rid of bad habits and create better ones, you will need to make some sacrifices. We all have some bad habits that are preventing us from realizing our dreams. And those habits unconsciously creep on us. By the time we notice the habit, it’s already been formed. Many people struggle in life and at work because of the habits that sneak up on them along the way. Have you ever wondered why someone is so successful in the workplace while others remain stuck in one position at the bottom of the ladder? It’s because that person develops some terrific habits of productivity. The bad news is, it’s really hard to break those bad habits. Yes, it’s easy to form them. After all, we were present when we created them. There was no pain involved. On the other hand, a good habit is rarely created on its own. It takes efforts to form them consciously. Fortunately, there’s a proven and scientific way to break those bad habits. That is exactly what this video is about. Okay, why is breaking bad habits is so critical? Well, think about your future self. The habits you create now will most definitely dictate the quality of your life tomorrow. Whether you agree with me or not, you are going to be 50, 60, or 70 years old. There’s no way around it. You will get old. You need to be kind to that 60 years old you. Be considerate and thoughtful. Be mindful. If not, you will eventually end up living in regrets. You will be disappointed. You will live with a life full of resentments. Nothing is sadder than meeting a grumpy old man full of regrets, moaning, complaining, and making excuses. He is blaming people, things, and circumstances. It’s the wife’s fault. It’s the government. It’s the boss. I mean one excuse after another.

How Habits Are Formed

To form a habit, it takes a trigger, behavior, and a reward. The trigger prompts you to take an action or behave a certain way. Then you feel good or great depending on the action. Every behavior has a good intention. Yes, I do mean every behavior. Even when the behavior is evil, the intention of the behavior is to reward the person. There are two kinds of triggers. There’s the hot trigger. There’s the cold trigger. The hot trigger is associated with instant gratification. Simply put, you get a reward instantly. You open the refrigerator, and you see the ice cream. That’s a hot trigger. You then consume the ice cream. Then you feel good. You get rewarded. How about a cold trigger? Now, we are talking about delayed gratification. You get the reward later. Let’s say you are driving, and you hear an advertisement on the radio for something you are interested in. The announcer mentions the website. Well, you cannot go to the site because you don’t have a computer and internet access right there. That’s a cold trigger. You will take the action and get the reward later.

The Habit Loop

So, the sequence of the trigger, routine or behavior, and reward is called the habit loop. It always happens in the same sequence without fail. Do you see how you can create some bad habits without being aware you are doing it?

How to Get Rid of Bad Habits

Okay, we talked about how we form those bad habits. How do we break them for good? The answer is easy. Remove the triggers. Don’t put ice cream in your refrigerator. Make sure your environment is free of hot triggers.

How to Form Good Habits

To form good habits, you need to learn how to turn your cold triggers into hot triggers. As I just mentioned, if you remove alcohol or ice cream, they automatically become hot triggers. Now, you have to get dressed, get in your car, and fight traffic to get the ice cream. All those steps might discourage you. Also, the reward is no longer instant. Since we know the brain is wired for instant gratification, it will find something else to reward it. Keep this in mind, this is your real life. You are not on this earth to rehearse this life. Some people live as if they are coming back to do it for real. That’s pretty sad. That’s why I’m imploring you to start breaking those bad habits as soon as you.