How to give up bad habits and learn discipline

Personal self-improvement and leadership go hand in hand. People who lack social intelligence or communication skills will sooner or later reach a ceiling in their professional growth and never become successful managers. On the other hand, inspiring managers know how to work on themselves, how to give up bad habits and adhere to a certain discipline. Only then can they serve as an inspiration and motivation to their employees. This article will look at how to get rid of bad habits in the long run, learn discipline and move forward, thus becoming an inspiration to your subordinates and other people around you.

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Step by step

How to put an end to bad habits once and for all? Not through sudden, large-scale changes, but by smaller steps. Many people, for instance, make New Year's resolutions. A large number decide that immediately after New Year's Eve they will start exercising three times a week, go for a run twice a week, count their calorie intake, eat vegetables for their snacks, stop smoking and stop drinking alcohol. By February most of these enthusiastic people are back to their old habits.

As PsychCentral.com states, changing a habit is a lengthy process and it is better to proceed via small steps. Start running in the first month. The next month, modify your diet. Let every change take root. Whatever habits you are trying to change, take things gradually and in stages.

Specific goals

The second crucial piece of advice regarding a change of habits is setting yourself specific goals. Do not just say "I will eat more healthily", "I will work more", "I will improve my performance." What exactly will you eat and when? How much longer will you work, what time will you get up? How many new clients will you find and how will you reach this goal?

Set yourself partial goals, divide your plan into steps and approach them as if on a staircase. A change in habits and personal self-improvement requires discipline and hard work. When we look at successful people, we tend to see only the success but sometimes forget about that part of the iceberg that is hidden beneath the surface.

 

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Article source Psych Central - the Internet’s largest and oldest website focused on mental health
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