I feel pretty, oh so pretty...
Ripley: I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
- Aliens (1986)
If only getting rid of every problem was this easy — just commandeer a military vessel, narrowly escape with your life, and then deploy a tactical nuclear wessel warhead — end of problem. Unfortunately, due to pesky things like non-proliferation contracts, a shortage of fissile material, and sanctions against wholesale destruction, this is seldom viable for most of us. Heck, even getting your hands on some depleted uranium is tricky.
We don’t get to live in a world where things are wrapped up without repurcussions in twenty-seven minutes. Thus, solving our problems involves a bit more finesse, a bit more creativity, and a lot more work.
Bad habits can’t just be nuked. They’re tenacious, non-corporeal things that don’t respond to cajoling, flamethrowers, or noogies. The only way to be sure you’ve got them by the throat is through discipline and willingness towards vigilance. As anyone who’s tried to kick an addictive habit — whether it’s smoking, caffeine, or Everquest — can attest, it’s not easy, but it can be done.
There’s a body of research that suggests that it takes about three weeks to develop a habit, whether it’s good or bad. Unfortunately, falling out of good habits is a whole lot easier than breaking bad ones. That being the case, once you’ve started doing something positive for yourself — taking a daily walk, or making an effort to drink enough water — try to stick with it for three weeks.
Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not getting 100% adherence — any plan needs a little flexibility, or it’ll cause resentment and frustration — but try to be diligent about things, and you might surprise yourself that you not only get used to doing it, but feel like something’s a little off if you don’t have ______ in your day.
Congratulations, you’ve just formed a good habit! Now, try and take a bad one out behind the woodshed, whip its butt, and leave it there for the vultures.
The trick to this approach is, don’t try and do everything at once. Making one small change a week, or every two weeks, or whatever, will keep you from feeling or getting overwhelmed. If you want to pick some low-hanging fruit first — getting in a little exercise, or cutting down on [$bad_for_you_food] — by all means, go for it. It’ll build your confidence in that whole realm of, “Yeah, I can do this!” before you take on a mini-boss, like nicotine, or starting a Yoga class, or joining a gym, or whatever you’re looking to do.
Give yourself three weeks to nuke the bad habit you want to be rid of. It won’t result in a pretty mushroom cloud, but there’ll be a lot less Fallout afterward.
Related posts:
Recent Comments