Self Improvement Essentials

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The only way to change a negative behavior is first being conscious of the negative behavior. When a behavior has been identified as negative and needing to be changed, a person should keep a notepad for listing times when the person engages in the negative behavior, where the person is and what the person is feeling at the time. This may offer a person a better realization of what he is facing in his effort to change. Often, this self-observation is beneficial enough to be the only act required to provide successful change in a person’s life.

After identifying activities and situations that act as a precursor to the negative behavior, a person can determine which have the greatest influence on a person and ways in which to avoid them. In this manner a person can plan ahead to be better able to cope with an unavoidable stressful situation. For example: A dieter may imagine himself walking past the dessert cart while at lunch or a person may choose to chew a piece of gum instead of smoking a cigarette.

Finding encouragement from a network of friends can aid in an attempt to make positive change in a person’s life, as long as a person does not rely on the friends as the sole source of reinforcement. Joining a group of overweight people may benefit a dieter. While this may be an excellent starting point, a person’s dedication to self-improvement is going to be the main source of inspiration to change.

By concentrating on smaller, more immediate gains from the new behavior instead of concentrating on the end result it may prevent a persons‘ morale from waning. This can help provide additional encouragement to a person that wants to manufacture change in their life. The reduction of even one or two pounds a week can motivate a dieter to work harder. A person that desires to stop smoking may still be smoking, however they may notice easier breathing, less coughing, greater stamina as well as other benefits from reducing the amount of tobacco smoked which can provide a sense of accomplishment sufficient to continue reducing the amount of tobacco smoked.

A person can find a healthy form of positive reinforcement in simply reminding themselves of past success in initiating change. A person may be confronted with an unexpected stressful situation and by coaching themselves through it can avoid a relapse into the negative behavior. This can even be beneficial for those that have just started to initiate change in their lives. In this case a person would just remind themselves why they are trying to bring this change about.

A person can keep their morale high by rewarding themselves on a regular basis. In this manner a person can focus their attention on the little goals that pave the way to the ultimate goal. Each week that a person continues their new behavior they should find some type of reward for themselves that does not hinder their life change objective. A person could sleep in on a Saturday or go out with some friends, for example.

A person should come to terms with the likelihood of relapse. The first few weeks of trying to institute change have the most occurrences of relapse. At times such as this, outside support is crucial. A person should not criticize themselves too harshly for relapsing; they should just make an even more intensive effort to change. Take the negative and turn it into a positive.

A person needs to realize that the drive to change lies within themselves. A person that believes he can and will succeed is much more likely to succeed than a person that thinks contrary to this. The belief that a person can change their world is an intangible factor that may actually be the most important factor of all. You can do it!

Self Improvement Essentials
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