Breaking Bad Habits and Making Good Habits
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Having a habit implies a current lack of control over a certain behaviour or set of behaviours in a particular type of situation.
So if a habit is a nominalisation, how do we do or create a habit?
One way is through repetition.
In Tranceformations, Bandler and Grinder talk about streamlining. This is a natural process whereby our minds learn which aspects of a thought process are important and which aren't.
For example, I remember the first time somebody offered to shake my hand. I remember being very pleased because I was about 6 years old and this pretty lady was treating me like an adult. I looked at her outstretched hand and then, remembering what others did in this situation, clumsily lifted mine and moved it towards hers. I remember not getting the positioning quite right, and she compensated and smiled.
I got a little better at shaking hands the next time and sooner or later, I didn't even need to think about it.
Now, when somebody offers you their hand, you don't think about it. It's automatic. Even if you do think about it, you can't help lifting your hand up.
This is a habit.
Some habits are good. Michael Jordan was asked to miss the basket when throwing for a TV commercial. He couldn't do it. It took him around 20 attempts to miss.
Many people blame their unconsious mind for their bad habits. But even the
most enlightened people have bad habits.
This indicates to me that they are not only outside of their conscious control,
but outside of the control of their unconscious minds as well.
But just as you can break a habit by deliberately practising a different one, your unconscious mind can do it without your needing to know about it.
You can also break a habit by making it seem unfamiliar or otherwise uncomfortable. Boredom is another one. Think about what your conscious mind is naturally attracted to and what it ignores.
Our minds are very keen on doing what feels comfortable. The same mechanism can be used for making a new habit.