I'm finally ready to make positive changes in my life by staying sober and changing certain habits. I don't smoke a pack of cigarettes every day any more and I don't smoke crack cocaine or drink alcohol anymore, so I'm on the right track.
The funny thing is I'm fifty years of age, but I don't feel like it until my bones and muscles remind me that my body can't do what I'm used to doing. I can't walk around the 'hood all day hustling money to buy drugs anymore and I can't stay awake for weeks at a time anymore.
The one thing I'm sure about is the only way to make positive changes in my life is by making better choices and the right decisions throughout the day. I begin making decisions as soon as I get out of bed. The wrong decisions could lead to a bad day or a bad year.
The only way we can positively change our lives is through the choices we make every minute of every day. We choose what to eat and who to talk to, without realizing all of those decisions are what makes our life what it is.
I Can Make Positive Changes in My Life by Making Better Decisions
The key is recognizing that we make many more choices than we realize. The choices we make every day pile up one on top of the other until they become habits. Think about the following:
- We choose to go to work every morning.
- We choose our friends.
- We choose which T.V. shows to watch.
- We choose whether or not to live in the suburbs.
- We choose to get married.
- We choose to have children.
- We choose.
- We choose.
- We choose.
We make some choices so often they are no longer choices. They're the way we live our life. For example, you may choose to watch Seinfeld on channel 10 every day until it's no longer a choice. You simply grab the remote then switch the channel without giving it a second thought.
It's no longer a choice but a way of life.
Habits and Normative Behaviors
Some choices don’t seem like choices at all. These generally fall into two categories: habits and normative behaviors.
Habits are choices we make so regularly that over time they demand less and less executive control. They occur without much thought every day.
As a consequence, they start to seem automatic. But they aren't. When it comes to bad habits, we may even be motivated to cede control by telling ourselves the choice was made long ago and that we are now at the mercy of the habit until we change it.
I'm ready to make positive changes in my life. I'm going to begin by becoming aware of habits and by making better decisions.
Image Credit: Going Crazy Wanna Come?
Part of this article appeared on Psychology Today... The Only Way to Make Positive Change in Your Life
