Start small. Pick a simple task/habit you want to shift and do it. But make it easy. That way you have a victory you can congratulate yourself with. Positive reinforcement for the next small change...😷

Incentives help enormously!

I have a very addictive personality - sex, drugs, cigarettes, food, alcohol - and whilst I did stop taking drugs for a while I find myself doing them every so often. So, minimal incentive.

However, some 14 years ago now I had a big drinking lifestyle - I loathe to call it a problem because, to me, it wasn't - and, cue some medical problems concerning a bad back and the specialist said that I had something like 6-7 months left to live if I didn't stop drinking.

With a husband and young children under my watch that was all the incentive that I needed to keep living.

Drink free since then.

So, the incentive of my family and children stopped me from going back to drink.

Hope that helps or explains things.

M x

If and WHEN I have let myself slide in this or that area, I often SEE the results, or feel them. For example, I am an impulsive shopper.

I ran into huge trouble with credit card debt, and I still have TWO more years to pay it all off, after placing MYSELF in a credit card debt repayment plan. And now I have two NEW credit cards.

Christmas arrived, my cleaning lady accidentally messed up my very strict finances...and I had to use my charge to buy food for a friend. Then I decided to get my oil changed...and put it on the charge. Then I bought myself some pyrex style bento boxes for the microwave. NOW I've bought myself some Boswellia for back pain. THEN I bought myself a pretty red sweater.

As you see, the floodgates have opened. It will take me four months, using the money I am SUPPOSED to put into my savings to pay off this "little hiccup" in my self discipline.

So...I am going to be strong. I KNOW I can be strong. I HAVE been strong in the past, and I WILL be strong again...and this self talk is HOW I use self discipline to stop my impulsive shopping.

YOU can use self talk, too. TRY it.

Self-discipline is the hard to achieve if you haven't learned it early in life. It's also easy to lose (from experience) if you don't take care. This time of year after a break in routine I find it can be difficult to pick some of the less enjoyable things I do. One of the reasons the Christmas decorations come down in my house well before 12th Night is to indicate to myself that the holidays are over.

Hmm...there are lots of self-help people out there, meditations, courses, more. One key is to learn yourself better, learn your triggers, your desires, your habits, what is good and bad for you...and then to learn to love yourself...be gentle with yourself.

I ask God to help me.

Let me know if you find out, so far I'm failing like a pro this year.

Practice, I would say. It takes time.

Bad decisions that I made being impulsive

Deny yourself

It starts with intent