A short instructional talk (YouTube-style) by Jack Canfield presenting a simple three-step method to replace unproductive habits with successful ones: 1) identify bad/unproductive habits and their long-term consequences, 2) define replacement successful habits and visualize benefits, 3) create a concrete three-part action plan and commit to implementation and accountability. The speaker gives a concrete smoking example, assigns homework (write the habit, replacement, three-step plan, and a check-in date), and closes with call-to-action to engage with the channel and visit his website.
Chapters
Hi, Jack Hempfield here. And today I want to give you a simple and easy to follow strategy for building successful habits. As I've said countless times before, success leaves clues. And what this means is that if you want to be successful, then you simply have to look at what successful people have done before you. All successful people have successful habits, habits that they've created and refined over time because they help them to reach their goals. Learn to observe what those habits are in others who are successful. Study successful people and then ask yourself which of their habits would help you to reach your goals. And once you have that list, then it's time to actively work on building those habits and making them a consistent part of your daily life. Now, what I'm about to tell you is a step by step method to, to help you create better habits. It works because it's simple. You don't need complicated strategies. And this template can be applied to any area of your life, business or personal. And if it's applied consistently, it will help you achieve everything you want. Now, there are three simple fundamental steps involved in this formula. The first step is to clearly identify your bad or your unproductive habits. And it's important that you really think about the future consequences of your bad habits. Now, these may not show up tomorrow, next week, or next month. The real impact could be years away. And when you look at your unproductive behavior one day at a time, it may not look so bad. The smoker says, well, what's a few cigarettes today helps me relax. I'm not wheezing, I'm not coughing. However, the days accumulate and 20 years later, in the doctor's office, the X rays are conclusive. Now consider this. If you smoke 10 cigarettes a day for 20 years, that's 73,000 cigarettes. Do you think 73,000 cigarettes could have an impact on your lungs? Of course they could. In fact, the consequences can be deadly. So when you examine your own bad habits, consider the long term implications of continuing them and be totally honest with yourself. Your life could be at stake. The second step is to define your new successful habits that you're going to replace the old bad ones with. And usually this is just the opposite of your bad habits. In the smoker's example, it would simply be, stop smoking. So ask yourself, what am I going to actually do? And to motivate yourself, think about all the benefits and rewards for adopting your new successful habit. This helps you create a clear picture of what this new habit will do for you. And the more vividly you describe the benefits, the more likely you are to take action. Now the third step is to create a three part action plan and this is where the rubber meets the road. In the smoking example, there are several options. You can read how to stop smoking literature. You can start hypnosis therapy. You can substitute something else when the desire for a cigarette arises. You can place a bet with a friend to keep you accountable. You can start a fresh air exercise program. You could use a nicotine patch treatment. Stay away from other smokers. But the important thing is to make a decision about which specific actions you're going to implement and then you must take action. Start with just one habit that you really want to change in any area of your life and focus on your three immediate action steps and put them into practice. Remember, nothing will change until you do. Now here's your homework to complete after watching this video. Write down one unproductive habit you'd like to change as well as a new one you'd like to create. Then create your three step action plan in writing of how you're going to take action to create this new habit. And then give yourself a check in date of when you'll assess your progress to see how far you've come on creating this habit and to hold yourself accountable. Leave a comment below with the bad habit you're going to change and the one you're going to replace it with. And I'll follow up with you guys to make sure you're staying on track. Thank you for watching and remember, once again, nothing will change for the better until you do. Now, if you found this video helpful, make sure you like it, share it with a friend who may need it, and subscribe to my channel for more videos like this one, and for some additional resources on how to build successful habits, visit my website@jackcampfield.com.
