Content

• Steps
• Advice

Everyone has the habits they want to change. The tendency to repeat old behaviors has become a part of human psychology. Changing your old behavior can be difficult and time consuming. However, this process is possible through planning the right action and remaining positive as you move towards accomplishing your goals in avoiding the same mistakes you make.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Recognizing and Understanding Mistakes

1. 

   Don't be afraid of failure. Making mistakes can be a pretty good thing.The key to turning mistakes into something of value is to learn from it. You should carefully examine the mistake you made and look for the cause. This way, making a mistake can guide you to success.
   • Becoming overconfident can also lead you to misinformation and make you make mistakes.
   • Many conditions or situations can cause mistakes, such as feeling tired from having a bad habit.

2. 

   
   
   Don't believe that you cannot fail to make mistakes. This will only keep you from making mistakes and won't help you learn from them. Your brain can actually help keep you from making mistakes. Research has shown that the brain responds within 0.1 seconds to factors that have made mistakes in the past by sending warning signals to prevent us from making the same mistakes.

3. 

   
   
   Focus on what you are doing. While it can be helpful to learn from your mistakes, you should also focus on what is right. By focusing on activities that you do well, you can feel better at your efforts to make improvements and avoid mistakes.
   • Make a list of everything you have ever overcome, as well as all your achievements.
   • Write down your precious qualities.
   • Review your list regularly to motivate and remind yourself of your progress.

4. 

   
   
   Start to correct mistakes. Once you become aware of a few mistakes you've made, you should work on correcting them. The method you use to correct the mistake will likely be different depending on the mistake you are trying to improve on. You can look at a few examples to learn about the corrections you can make:
   • If you tend to miss your bill payments frequently, you should set up a conspicuous reminder for yourself.
   • Don't be afraid to ask for help. For example, if you are trying to cook a soup according to her recipe and fail, you can consult her.

5. 

   Focus on improvement. You might want to set high goals, but do your best no matter what your goals are. However, it's easier for you to find success if you focus on gradual improvement over time, rather than the end result.
   • Perfectionism can lead to anxiety about one's goals and progress.

6. 

   Practice every day. Part of improving, finding success, and avoiding old mistakes is continuing to practice. Daily practice is the key to helping you hone your skills and allowing yourself to slowly but consistently improve over time. For example, you could try to cook the soup according to her recipe more often to improve gradually.
   • Make time to practice each day.
   • Note how long you will practice each day.
   • If possible, gradually increase the amount of time you exercise each day.
   • If you can't practice a certain skill every day, a visualization exercise can help. For example, if you don't have a guitar, you can imagine that you're playing the chords of the song you're practicing.
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Part 2 of 3: Getting Ready for Change

1. 

   Look for the behavior you want to change. Before you can avoid repeating the same mistakes or behaviors, you need to identify what you want to change. Find any life behaviors you want to improve on.
   • Find the habits and behaviors that you think are most important to work on to improve them first.
   • Do not hug too many things at once. Choose only a few items that you think deserve the most attention.

2. 

   Explore what triggers your behavior. Consider situations or events that could cause you to re-commit an old mistake or behavior you didn't want at all. Usually, there is an underlying reason for you to want to change your behavior. Once you identify them, it will be easier to change your responses to the situation and stay away from them in the future.
   • You may find that stress causes you to crave cigarettes or eat unhealthy junk food.
   • If you feel anxious in a social setting, you may be aware that this situation causes you to start drinking, even though this is not your usual course of action.

3. 

   Find something to replace old habits. When you create a goal to stop repeating the old behavior, you will need to replace it with the new behavior. Without them, you will easily return to your original unwanted behavior.
   • For example, you could have a snack with the arm instead of french fries or do 10 push ups.
   • If you get angry easily, develop a habit of breathing deeply before allowing your anger to take over you.

4. 

   Write about your goals. After you have thought about the behaviors you want to end and what substitutes for them, you can write about them. This action will serve as a reminder of a goal you want to accomplish, and you can check them out whenever you want.
   • Keep your list of goals where you will see them often and easily. For example, you can stick them at your desk or set a reminder on your phone.

5. 

   Don't be in a hurry. It can be difficult and time-consuming to change your old habits with the new ones you have chosen. You should stick to your plan, stay positive, and work towards your goals.
   • It can take anywhere from 15 to 254 days to change your habits depending on your motivation, the substitution behavior, and the amount of time you repeat the action.
   • Remind yourself of your goals and the benefits the change will bring you to stay motivated.

6. 

   Don't worry when there are obstacles. As you progress towards achieving your goals, changing your old behavior to new ones, you shouldn't let the obstacles stop you. Obstacles can happen, but that doesn't mean you've lost it or that it's time to retreat. You should learn from them and constantly strive to accomplish your goals.
   • Obstacles can be a positive factor, they will inform you of any situation or event that will bring you back into your old habits.
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Part 3 of 3: Making Changes

1. 

   Think about what change you'd like to make. The first stage in making changes to a behavior is to think twice about it. Think about the benefits and any disadvantages this process will bring you.
   • Make a detailed list of the benefits and positive aspects your new behavior will provide you with.
   • Carefully list any difficulties you can think of. They can cause you to return to your old behavior or prevent you from building new habits.
   • For example, increasing the amount of exercise can make you healthier, but the lack of time could get in your way.

2. 

   Be prepared to face obstacles. Before you act and make changes, you need to take steps to prepare. The preparation phase includes planning to deal with any challenges that may prevent you from reaching your goals. With careful preparation, it will be easier to make the change.
   • This stage will help you become ready to deal with obstacles that prevent you from accomplishing your goals.
   • For example, if you think a lack of time is going to be a problem when you're trying to increase your exercise time, you should rearrange your schedule or think about exercising in your spare time.

3. 

   Begin to make changes. After you've thought about the new behavior you want to work on and how you can overcome the obstacles, you can start taking action. In this step, you need to focus on monitoring your progress, overcoming challenges, and rewarding yourself every time you are able to perform the new behavior you desire.
   • Monitor your progress carefully to stay motivated and to be discernible when you fall.
   • Think ahead about overcoming obstacles. Avoid situations or events that might cause you to return to your old behavior.
   • When you accomplish your goals, reward yourself. You can watch a movie you love or relax by soaking in the bath.

4. 

   Maintain the change. Once you have replaced the old unwanted behavior with the new one of your choice, you need to maintain it. Do not stop doing this new act and continue to enjoy it.
   • If possible, you should increase the level of the original goal. For example, if you want to exercise regularly and become more active, you can continue to increase your goal of improving your health.
   • Keep things interesting. When trying to improve your behavior, you should go through the process in a variety of ways to stay engaged. For example, if you are trying to stop snacking by eating healthier, check out more new recipes.
   • Stay positive and don't let obstacles get you back. If you fail, learn from it, and keep moving toward your goals.
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Advice

• Be patient while working on your goals. Changing your old behavior can be difficult and time consuming.
• Think ahead about the obstacles so you can be prepared to deal with them.
• Don't allow failure to stop you. Learn from them and let them guide you to success.
• Mind and body are key, only the things that you allow them to form in your mind can reflect what's going on outside.