If you want to be successful, not just at work but in other areas of your life, you want to produce positive results. If you're on a diet, for example, you might be pepping yourself up with thoughts like, "I won't eat pork! I'm staying away from meat." Or you could be always tardy at work and find yourself saying, "I won't be late tomorrow." But what if, instead of helping, thoughts like these actually contribute to making you fail? An article entitled "Nine Things Successful People Do Differently" on Forbes.com says that, if you really want to change something in your life, you need to stop dwelling on what you're not supposed to be doing and focus on what you can do to replace it.
"Research on thought suppression (e.g., 'Don't think about white bears!') has shown that trying to avoid a thought makes it even more active in your mind. The same holds true when it comes to behavior--by trying not to engage in a bad habit, our habits get strengthened rather than broken," writes author Heidi Grant Halvorson.
To keep yourself on track when it comes to losing weight, then, focus on researching healthy but tasty substitutes for your favorite greasy dishes instead of actively thinking you're going to avoid junk food. If you want to start being punctual at work, don't dwell on the fact that you're always late. Think of what you can do to remedy it, such as training yourself to sleep early.
If you keep replacing your bad habits instead of giving in to them, says the author, these will wear out eventually, and you'll be able to change negative tendencies into positive ones.
[Click here to read "Nine Thing Successful People Do Differently" on Forbes.com]
What bad habits could you be guilty of doing? Check out these articles for information:
- New Study: These 4 Bad Habits Can Shorten Your Life by 12 Years
- 10 Bad Health Habits You Should Drop ASAP
- 10 Bad Habits that Could Be Hurting Your Relationship + How to Break Them
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(Photo source: sxc.hu; edits by Female Network)
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