Don’t Kick The Habit

I know you just made resolutions, but don’t try to stop smoking. Don’t give up booze. Don’t throw out your pot. Don’t ditch the donuts.

While you’re at it, don’t join the gym. Don’t try to meditate every day. Don’t promise to get over your money issues. Don’t resolve to lose 20 pounds.

Don’t quit the job you hate. Don’t leave your deadbeat boyfriend. Don’t try to be a better mother/ daughter/ friend. Don’t give up internet porn.

Don’t finish that novel. Don’t sign up for that art class. Don’t declutter your house. Don’t get out of debt.

When you make promises to yourself before you’re ready to make big change, you just prove to yourself what you’ve suspected all along – that you don’t have the willpower, you’re not trustworthy, and you never follow through on your word.

You pay big bucks to Jenny Craig, but you never follow the program. You sign up for the art class, but you don’t start painting. You look at your computer, but you don’t write your novel. You look up 12 step programs but then you never go. You sign up for that green juice cleanse and then you never cleanse. You pay the $99 every month, but you don’t actually go to the gym. You make a budget but then you don’t follow it. You break up with your boyfriend and two days later, you sleep with him. You try to quit your job until they offer you a raise and you get sucked in again.

Every time you make a promise to yourself that you don’t keep, you feel like shit. And when you feel like shit, what do you do? You smoke that cigarette/ eat that ice cream/ start jonesing for that drug or that sex or your couch potato lifestyle. When you make promises to yourself that you don’t keep, you make the habit worse.

Instead, wait until you’ve decided it’s really time.

Draw the line in the sand.

Refuse to accept anything less than 100 percent recovery.

Know that this time, it’s for real. And mean it.

Trust that once you decide you’re really ready, it will be easy. You’ll break the habit in a blink. You’ll never look back.

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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Eternal G.

6:23PM PST on Feb 7, 2012

Indeed!

send a green star

Debbie C.

1:58AM PST on Feb 1, 2012

I love that phrase, "It will come from within, and it will be easy, and it will be permanent." I am still waiting. Hopefully, it will be some time soon.

Shadowwolf W.

8:12PM PST on Jan 30, 2012

Thanks for helping mew meet my goals!

Amelia G.

3:57PM PST on Jan 24, 2012

thank you!

NO FW NEWS AM R.

8:58AM PST on Jan 24, 2012

Thank you for the article:))

Lindy B.

8:52AM PST on Jan 24, 2012

Great article! Thank you

William K.

7:52AM PST on Jan 24, 2012

Thanks for the article.

Jane H.

2:29PM PST on Jan 23, 2012

I LOVE THIS! It is so true

Jane R.

7:10PM PST on Jan 22, 2012

And what if the day never comes that we decide we have to and want to quit whatever it is that is holding us hostage? We just die with the knowledge that if we had tried we might have succeded at stoping a bad habit and lived longer???

Laura M.

9:56AM PST on Jan 22, 2012

I was confused at the beginning of this article, much like Ryder W. But I continued reading, and now I understand. I must agree, Lissa. I can proudly say I've followed through on my resolutions almost flawlessly for my entire life, and it was for exactly the reason explained in this article: I didn't aim too high.
This year my resolution is to ignore my hair (i just spent two years actively growing it and i'm finally satisfied with the length). I think I can handle this year's resolution. ^_^