I found a very simple and handy tool on the web: www.habitforge.com. This is how it works:
* Sign up for a free account
* Write an action you want to become your habit, for e.g. Exercise for at least 20 minutes every day
* Choose a category where your habit is (multiple choices) and
* Input personal motivational factors
After that only thing you need to do is to DO your habit every day. Every day an email is sent to you with a question: Were you successful at …[exercising for at least 20 minutes every day?] . If the answer is YES your clock starts ticking and you are moving to the 20 (19, 18, 17, …) more days left to create the habit (days crumble as the feeling of success kicks in). If the answer is NO your clock starts ticking back from the day 0 and you are reminded of your motivational factors. Frankly speaking it is interesting to observe personal response as own words pop up on the screen: guilt, looking for excuses, trying to ignore all together what is there written… Eventually I felt empowered to start from the day 0 realizing that it was much better to do that than to stop working on the creation of the habit completely. It just meant that it will take a bit more time to create the habit.
What is a slightly challenging but achievable action that will increase the quality of your life if it becomes your habit? Do it for 21 day and then re-evaluate.
All personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. Anthony Robbins
Have you ever thought:
I just can’t do that
That’s just not for me
I lack the ability to
I’m just not good enough to
I just don’t deserve to be
I would love to ….. but I’m just not that kind of person
What is your limiting belief ?
How does it affect your attitude and your behavior?
Have your limiting beliefs become self fulfilling prophecies?
If you want to face and change your limiting beliefs, this is a very interesting NLP exercise:
Museum of Old Beliefs
1. Do you recognize that you have a limiting belief? How would you describe this belief? How does it influence your behavior? How has it served you at a certain time?
2. Can you see that this belief could actually be untrue? Do you have evidence that goes against this limiting belief? When was the first time you had this belief? Have you seen other people change? Do you believe you can change?
3. Maybe this old belief once served you, but now you no longer feel comfortable with it. You don’t have to get totally rid of your old belief, you can put it in into a Museum of Old Beliefs that you can visit when you want and have a look at it, but it will not be part of your life any more.
What is the size, shape, color, texture, location and the smell of your Museum? You can put your old belief in the Museum and leave it there
4. Now, what belief would serve you better at this point in your life? How would you describe this belief? How would you name it?
5. Do you sense that this new belief could be true? Are you open to believing something different from your old belief? Are you ready to embrace a new belief? Can you think of a time in the past when you were open to a new belief? How did you feel then? How do you feel about your new belief now?
6. What are your most dearly held beliefs? How would your life be if you held this new belief in the same way? Can you close your eyes and see, hear, feel, smell how and who you are embracing this new belief? What will you do now that you have this new belief?
If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it to dance. George Bernard Shaw.
Maggie Phillips, Ph.D, lives and works as a clinical psychologist in the Oakland Hills above the San Francisco Bay. She has taught at major conferences on trauma, hypnosis, Ego-State Therapy, EMDR, behavioral medicine, Somatic Experiencing, and Energy Psychology in the U.S., Canada, Europe, South Africa, Australia, Scandinavia, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, and Japan. As the author of numerous papers and articles on trauma, dissociation, ego-state therapy, hypnosis, and mind-body healing, she specializes in the treatment of traumatic stress and pain disorders. She is a Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis and of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation. Dr. Phillips is co-recipient of the Cornelia Wilbur award from International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation and of the Crasilneck award for the best writing in the field of hypnosis.
Dr. Phillips is author of three books. Her latest book, Reversing Chronic Pain, was released in October, 2007. Her other books are Finding the Energy to Heal (W.W. Norton, 2000) and Healing the Divided Self (W.W. Norton, 1995). She has also recorded two CD programs on pain: Hypnosis: The Pain Solution and Hypnosis: The Headache Solution. As an innovator in mindbody healing and in the treatment of persistent pain, Dr. Phillips is particularly interested in the interface of trauma, dissociation, and pain conditions.
Dr. Phillips will deliver program Body As Ultimate Healer in Beijing on December 12-13th. Check Upcoming Events section on http://www.small-steps-coaching.com/
If you can’t view the video on this post check the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jv5hvHuo5CQ
