Wednesday, June 30, 2010

How a routine task like brushing my teeth at night helped me find a way to change a bad habit in an instant!


There are many things we would like to change in our lives and yet it seems like we simply just can't do it. What do you think is the reason for that? Most times we are told that we do not have enough burning desire to make the change. Sometimes we just cannot figure out what that burning desire really means. How much intensity does it involve? When things do not seem to be working out, 97% of us give up so easily and say, “This is so hard” I just can’t do it. However, the other 3% seem to be able to do it easily. How so?

I recently stumbled upon something I have had under my nose for some time now and once I was able to apply firsthand what I learnt, it worked immediately.

I work late into the night doing research or working on my business and sometimes I am so tired that I am falling asleep at the table. When I do get up, I would head straight for bed, at times without brushing my teeth. Horrible and embarrassing isn’t it? Now, I could have easily solved that by brushing before getting deep into my work, however, I like to be fruit snacking or drinking something while I am working.

I began to think that I must get back to the point when I used to brush, floss and rinse at night daily.

Prior to this I had been reading a chapter in a book about beliefs and this next sentence, which is the most important sentence in this article jumped out at me….

“Pain is the ultimate tool in shifting or changing a habit”

A few years back due to my sweet tooth, I had done extensive work to my teeth, namely crowns, wisdom teeth extraction, scaling and periodontics, fillings, deep cleaning. You name it. I was at the dentist office continuously for about 6 months and even though I had dental insurance, I had to spend quite a bit of money on copays. So let’s go back to pain and beliefs. What do you think happened? I remembered all the money I had spent and I started thinking.

What will it ultimately cost me financially, if I don’t let go of this habit? Will I have to repeat these dental procedures all over again?

Can I go through the physically pain of the numerous shots to numb my gum again and again?

Can I really afford the time to take off my business?

If I don’t take care of my teeth properly, it can lead to other medical issues
.

By the time I really thought about this and asked my self more questions, I realized that my bad habit had been significantly weakened under scrutiny. I had linked such intense pain to it, that I was able to get rid of the habit for good! Now, I had to replace it with a new habit of course. And guess what! I not only brush my teeth at night again regularly, but I always think of a new idea or a solution when I am brushing my teeth morning or evening. Now, isn’t that amazing how the change occurred in an instant and I found another positive reason to brush!

The funny thing is that when I read the chapter some time ago, I wrote down a few habits that had to change, however, I was not exactly sure how to apply that immense pain to a habit, until I was trying to find a solution for my teeth. In fact thinking more and more about it, makes me realize that I had used this method unconsciously in the past and did not even know it.

If you like this post and you are interested to discover a proven way to use positive affirmations and visualization to reach your goals, then click on the link above.

I hope sharing my experience with you, will be as helpful to you as it was to me.

Have you experienced anything similar in terms of changing a habit that you would like to share in the comment box below?

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2 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your behavioral changes. Your use of self questioning to dig deeper to see possible results of not changing was insightful.

    Your statement spoke to me:

    "I really thought about this and asked my self more questions, I realized that my bad habit had been significantly weakened under scrutiny. "

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  2. Thanks Jennifer. Great to hear from you! I have always wondered why it was easier for some people to make changes and harder for others, myself included. So when I found something that works for me, I believed it will help other people too.
    Pain is indeed a very powerful tool if used correctly.

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