We often adopt habits unknowingly. Good and bad habits play an important role in bringing about success and failure respectively in our life. (According to a research), we do 40 percent of the work throughout the day habitually, not willingly. Bad habits are like a soft and warm bed used in winter. It is easy to get into such a bed but it is very difficult to get out of it. However, if a person admits his mistake and corrects it, so it paves the way for success. First, you should develop the mindset that it is your own responsibility to get rid of your bad habits. Therefore, do not wait for anyone else to fulfill this responsibility of yours. Unless you intend to bring positive changes to your character, bad habits will not be changed. A change can be likened to a door that opens inside. Anyone who is outside can only knock on it. In order to give up bad habits, follow the following pieces of advice.
9 Methods of giving up bad habits
1 First, make an analysis of your habits, distinguishing good ones from bad ones.
2 You know yourself more than anyone else. If you make an impartial and fair analysis, you will soon discover your qualities and faults. For instance, what are the things which you cannot put up with? What causes you to get angry soon? What are the actions which make you happy when you do them?
3 For the identification of one’s habits, one can also take help from his friend or life partner. Sometimes, it is difficult to find your own faults.
4 Set your priorities. List bad habits. Your top priority should be to give up those bad habits which are necessary to be given up without delay. For example, the habit of missing Salahs. First, change this habit, make repentance and start offering Salah. Also make a calculation of the missed Salahs and offer them.
5 It is very difficult to change all habits simultaneously. You may also lose courage, thinking that you cannot change yourself. Therefore, change your habits one by one. For example, if you are habitual of being late, you should ponder how much you get late; 15 to 20 minutes or more. Think about causes for it. If you spend more time in breakfast or you do something unnecessary in the morning, you should control it. Let’s suppose you take half an hour to get to your school, college, Madrasah, Jami’ah, office or shop, so you should try to exit from your home 40 minutes earlier than the official time. By doing so, you will gradually get into the habit of reaching in time, اِنْ شَآءَاللہ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
6 In order to change your habit, set any target (such as 20 or 30 days). Then keep making analysis on a weekly or monthly basis, noticing the extent to which you have succeeded in changing certain habits.
7 To adopt a new habit for the purpose of changing an old one is a good method. For example, you know that if you start using internet after 9 pm, so you cannot keep from using it till around 12 pm. So, at that time, start reading an interesting book or doing something useful which keeps your interest. Maybe you do not get an immediate success but constant efforts will certainly bear fruits, اِنْ شَآءَاللہ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
8 Many times, we make a promise to ourselves to change ourselves but we fail to fulfill it. In such a situation, do not lose courage, and nor should you think that you will not be able to give up any bad habit. Instead, consider it to be a temporary failure and speed up your efforts for success.
9 Companionship produces its effect. Therefore, keep the company of those who have good habits. Within a short period of time, you will also have good habits, اِنْ شَآءَاللہ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ.
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