Healthy habits are sometimes a learned behavior rather than something that is automatic. So how can you develop healthy habits? Here are 3 keys to developing healthy habits:
1. Ask yourself, "What am I doing?" Do your habits line up with the Word, or God's way of thinking and doing things? We make our habits first, and then our habits make our lives. Do your habits line up with God's will? You will know if it's God will if it lines up with what He says and His way of thinking. I have heard it said that, "We are the sum total of our hungers or our habits, wrong or right." Romans 7:19-24 tells us that the apostle Paul had to battle with compulsive desires. He said he does what he doesn't want to do, and doesn't do what he should do. There is a war going on for our minds and our lives.
2. Spend your time practicing good things. Ask yourself, "What am I practicing?" All habits come from your thinking, and could even have come up from childhood. Check to see if your thinking lines up with what God says. Know that your spirit receives God's spirit instantly, but the mind and thinking takes time to be corrected. You must be sure you get your thinking lined up with God's Word and way of doing things. The flesh is not behavior, it's bad thinking, or a wrong way of thinking. The thoughts come before the behavior. Thinking that opposes the Word of God is the flesh. Thinking that lines up with the Word of God is the Spirit. You must commit to walk by the law that governs the Spirit so you can program your thinking to line up with God's Word.
3. Take a look at the words that have entered your thought life and have set your mind to go in a certain direction to do something. Every bad area can be corrected. The key is to change the way you think so it lines up with God's Word, or His way of doing things. Realize that you get flesh based thoughts with your words! Don't let thoughts go through your mind that don't line up with God's Word. You catch thoughts with words - remember that. You cannot fight thoughts with thoughts. Rather, you fight thoughts with words.
A stronghold is a house controlled by thoughts. You can change your thought finding out what Jesus says, and then agree with Him. Don't just be a hearer of His Word, but a doer also, and you will be blessed. Also, get around someone speaking healthy, wholesome words. It will help to change you and your habits.
Romans 8:5-8 tells us that "to be carnal minded is opposed to God's law and cannot please God." You see, God is God of patterns and principles and He cannot violate His own principles because that would make Him a liar. He cannot lie. He loves us and desires to give us a life of blessings, but we must make the choice.
Remember, we create our character by every choice we make in life. Set your mind on what is right, and do what's right, because it is right, and the rest will take care of itself. The bottom line is to get your thinking lined up with God's way of thinking, and you will start to see blessings pour into your life like never before. God is so good ALL the time. Do it God's Way and be blessed!
For more free tips like these, get your free report, "3 Big Health Mistakes ... And How to Avoid Them!" at http://www.LisaBuldo.com - Lisa Buldo is your "Victory Health Coach," and will teach you how to lose weight, lower blood sugar, find energy, clear up acne, resolve digestive issues and live a healthy lifestyle by incorporating proper nutrition and biblical principles for lasting lifestyle changes.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Work/Life Balance: Forming Healthy Habits
A habit is an action or series of actions that we perform in a subconscious manner. We don't have to consciously think about doing these things, they seem to happen on their own. Habits can be good or bad, depending on how they enhance our quality of life, or detract from it.
Have you ever driven home or to work and then had no recollection of the ride? Or have you taken the wrong exit off a freeway because it's the one you usually take, when in fact you had intended to keep on to another exit? Our minds become conditioned to doing things in a certain way, simply because we have done them over and over again in that exact way. This can be a good thing, as it makes much of our daily routine somewhat effortless. Imagine having to focus intently on every little thing you did, like washing dishes or taking out the garbage. Sounds exhausting, doesn't it?
However, negative actions can also become habits, and that makes them extremely difficult to change. How many times have you tried to adopt an exercise program, quit smoking, lose weight, or give up junk food? It takes between 21-30 days to form a new habit. This means you must perform your new actions repeatedly, day after day, for up to 30 days before your subconscious mind will begin to do them automatically. Until then it takes consistent effort and focus.
When trying to break a bad habit, it is usually helpful to substitute a good habit. Otherwise you'll end up feeling restless and gravitate back to the bad habit again to fill the void. For example, when quitting smoking, take up gum chewing, exercise, deep breathing, knitting, etc. When the urge for a cigarette hits, you have other activities you can use to busy yourself. At first, the new habit may not seem like an adequate substitute (especially if nicotene withdrawal is part of the equation!), but with consistent reinforcement, your mind will begin to let go of the old habit of smoking and adopt the newer habits you have substituted.
When trying to adopt a new habit, such as exercise, you may need to place visible reminders at your desk, on the refrigerator door, or the bathroom mirror. Remember that your mind is accustomed to not thinking about exercise. It will take some focused attention to change that.
It is important to have patience with yourself as you work on changing your habits. Remember that they are habits because they are largely subconscious. As you focus your conscious mind repeatedly on your new actions, they will also become subconscious, just like the negative actions did. Print out this handy Habit Forming Chart and hang it up where you will see it everyday. It can serve as a great reminder for your goals, as well as show your progress from day to day.
Don't beat yourself up if you have "failures" here and there as you work on forming new habits. No one is perfect, and you will probably have days where you don't meet your goals. The most difficult aspect of forming new habits is becoming aware of the automatic actions we take each day, and making a conscious decision to change them.
About The Author
Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer in New England. She is the owner of http://www.WorkatHomeBalance.com which features work/life balance tips for entrepreneurs, home business owners, telecommuters and freelancers. Visit today for more tips on balancing work and family under one roof.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Betterini
Have you ever driven home or to work and then had no recollection of the ride? Or have you taken the wrong exit off a freeway because it's the one you usually take, when in fact you had intended to keep on to another exit? Our minds become conditioned to doing things in a certain way, simply because we have done them over and over again in that exact way. This can be a good thing, as it makes much of our daily routine somewhat effortless. Imagine having to focus intently on every little thing you did, like washing dishes or taking out the garbage. Sounds exhausting, doesn't it?
However, negative actions can also become habits, and that makes them extremely difficult to change. How many times have you tried to adopt an exercise program, quit smoking, lose weight, or give up junk food? It takes between 21-30 days to form a new habit. This means you must perform your new actions repeatedly, day after day, for up to 30 days before your subconscious mind will begin to do them automatically. Until then it takes consistent effort and focus.
When trying to break a bad habit, it is usually helpful to substitute a good habit. Otherwise you'll end up feeling restless and gravitate back to the bad habit again to fill the void. For example, when quitting smoking, take up gum chewing, exercise, deep breathing, knitting, etc. When the urge for a cigarette hits, you have other activities you can use to busy yourself. At first, the new habit may not seem like an adequate substitute (especially if nicotene withdrawal is part of the equation!), but with consistent reinforcement, your mind will begin to let go of the old habit of smoking and adopt the newer habits you have substituted.
When trying to adopt a new habit, such as exercise, you may need to place visible reminders at your desk, on the refrigerator door, or the bathroom mirror. Remember that your mind is accustomed to not thinking about exercise. It will take some focused attention to change that.
It is important to have patience with yourself as you work on changing your habits. Remember that they are habits because they are largely subconscious. As you focus your conscious mind repeatedly on your new actions, they will also become subconscious, just like the negative actions did. Print out this handy Habit Forming Chart and hang it up where you will see it everyday. It can serve as a great reminder for your goals, as well as show your progress from day to day.
Don't beat yourself up if you have "failures" here and there as you work on forming new habits. No one is perfect, and you will probably have days where you don't meet your goals. The most difficult aspect of forming new habits is becoming aware of the automatic actions we take each day, and making a conscious decision to change them.
About The Author
Wendy Betterini is a freelance writer and web designer in New England. She is the owner of http://www.WorkatHomeBalance.com which features work/life balance tips for entrepreneurs, home business owners, telecommuters and freelancers. Visit today for more tips on balancing work and family under one roof.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Wendy_Betterini
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