This article about self improvement is appealing for those interested about this topic.

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We live in a world that is accustomed to 30-second commercials that offer instant solutions. But we shouldn’t be surprised when the easy solutions don’t work: There are no magic bullets, no simple solutions on the path to deep and lasting change.

Work on making change your No. 1 priority. You can’t move on until freeing yourself from the habit becomes your highest priority. Your life will go in the direction of your most dominant thoughts. When you focus on the past, your thoughts hold you back by causing you to relive events over and over.

Blaming ourselves for things that went wrong in the past is the most self-destructive habit of all. It’s easy for our families and friends to see when a habit like drinking, overeating, or overspending is destroying our lives. But it isn’t always so easy, not even for the people closest to us, to know when guilt and self-blame are destroying our possibility for happiness.

The solution is to accept responsibility for yourself, to realize that you can decide to take charge of your life. As soon as you’ve decided to change, it’s time to schedule your Decision Day. Set a date and announce your intention to take action: “I will stop smoking on the first of the month.” Put your commitment in writing.

One of the keys to successful self-change is to develop your own plan. The critical element in any program is the confidence of the person who is using it. If you believe the program will work, you have a better chance of making it work. The best way to do that is to create your own plan.

The key to success is reevaluating your life. The greatest motivator is a vision of what your life will be like when you break your bad habit.

Being prepared for change means that you set goals for yourself. The best way to do this is to write a personal mission statement. Make a list of the benefits of changing. How does each of these benefits help you achieve your goals in life?  

The key to freeing yourself from bad habits is to change your lifestyle. A total lifestyle change isn’t something that happens overnight. It happens one day at a time, as soon as you begin to focus on the solution instead of the problem. The process of total lifestyle change starts when you begin to think more about the present than the past.

Don’t be surprised if you’re not completely sure that you’re ready to break your habit at this stage. It’s not about quitting cold turkey; no one is asking you to do it today. Forcing yourself to quit before you’re mentally and emotionally prepared to change usually backfires. Quitting cold turkey usually doesn’t work at this stage. In this stage, you’re getting ready to quit.

The best
way to free yourself from any bad habit is to replace your old behavior with a more active lifestyle. Your commitment to an exercise program is one of the keys to breaking a bad habit.

Dr. Kenneth Cooper, the father of the aerobics movement, has said that maximum health benefits are obtained by participating in any activity that increases your heart rate for at least 30 minutes, three times a week.

Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise is enough to release endorphins into the brain. Endorphins are chemical substances produced by the body that are many times more powerful than morphine. Endorphins are responsible for the sensation of peace, well-being, and exhilaration commonly experienced by people who exercise regularly.

If you make a commitment to exercise for just 90 minutes a week, it will make you happier and it will help you replace your self-destructive habits with healthy new habits.

Brisk walking, swimming, or an exercise class will do the trick. Every lasting change costs something in terms of time, energy, and money. But if you stick with it, the payoff is a thousand to one.

You can’t exercise away all the temptations to go back to your old habit, of course. You need a plan that works 24/7. The best alternative for self-destructive habits is active diversion. Keeping busy—keeping your mind off the temptation to drink, smoke, or overeat—is the strategy that all successful self-changers use. Exercise is the healthiest substitute for bad habits, but it’s not the only substitute that works.

You are the only person who can know what will work for you. Whatever keeps you busy and takes your mind off your craving for a drink, a piece of cake, or a shopping spree will work for you. It has to be something you enjoy. Playing your favorite game, reading a book, listening to music, cleaning the house, or working on a home improvement project are all healthy alternatives.

However, there is still the danger of procrastination. Try these strategies at the first sign that you’re trying to put off your commitment:

* Weigh the benefits of acting versus the effects of procrastinating.
* Set achievable goals. Trying to pay off your credit card next month will only set you up for failure. Paying off the credit card in six months or one year gives you a much greater expectation of success.
* Get started. Do something. Sign up for an exercise class or go for a ride on your bike. Activity is the best antidote for procrastination.  
* Don’t beat yourself up if you’re not perfect all the time. It’s not about perfection—it’s about making progress one step at a time.  

Knowing yourself is the key to successful planning. What are the real reasons for your habit? What are the real causes of your procrastination? Your greatest enemy at this stage is fear of failure. That’s normal. Don’t let it bother you. Just set a date and stick to it.

Be sure to set a date that’s in the near future—two weeks from today, not two months from today. If you give yourself too much time, you’ll be more likely to procrastinate.