Change Your Habits in 7 Days: Stop Procrastination, Self-Sabotage, and Overthinking by Overcoming Anxiety, Breaking Bad Habits, and Rewiring Your Brain (2022 Guide for Beginners)

By Anastasia Rowe

How did we come to the point where we couldn't identify ourselves?

How can our pleasure and achievement become a memory rather than a way of life?

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anastasia Rowe
• Release date: Aug 10, 2022
• ISBN: 9783986536985

Book preview

Introduction

When I graduated from high school 20 years ago, I walked out the doors of my alma mater, ready to face the world. Our valedictorian promised us a future full of bright beginnings and rapid advancement at graduation. But what they didn't say – and where I believe many of us fall short – is that achieving our goals and reaching new heights would be a difficult battle. And I was completely unprepared to face that harsh reality.

By the time I was 25, I had devolved into a disorganized maniac, working late nights just to stay afloat in corporate America. I'd become so overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of modern life that I'd developed a disastrous routine for myself. Before I knew it, I didn't have time for any of the real things that mattered in my life, and I couldn't even remember what they were. I had no idea how far I had slid until Christmas 2011 when I looked out my apartment window and saw my neighbours decorating their homes. When I turned around, all I saw was a stack of paperwork on my dining room table. That's when I realized how much my decisions and habits from the previous year had harmed my outcome.

I had spent the previous twelve months going with the flow and letting whatever needed to be be. I didn't have any plans, no goals, and no physical or social life. My mental and emotional health had been teetering on the brink of collapse, and I was simply passing through life, or, to put it another way, letting life pass me by. It takes 21 days to form a habit, we've all heard countless times. However, without proper discipline, it can take up to 254 days to form a good habit and less than half that time to form a bad habit. If I had paid attention to the changes that were gradually taking place in my life, if I had reversed the bad habits as soon as they began to sprout, it would not have taken me half as long to get to where I am today – confidently in control of my life.

I'd like to share with you a secret that the majority of us have not only failed to discover but have also struggled to accept, despite years of experience. When you master your mind, you master everything.

Those bad habits that have robbed you of your productivity, focus and fulfilment in life have only as much power as you give them. It may be difficult to believe, but habits are only difficult to break if you approach them incorrectly. It's similar to a nervous twitch, and doctors will tell you that it will go away if you change your negative thought patterns and control your reactions.

In this guide, we'll debunk even more of society's myths and delve deep into the truths of how to break free from bad habits and cycles of negative thinking. What if, instead of moping around about our current circumstances, we could take charge of what little we have now to make twice as much tomorrow? What if we could pinpoint exactly where, why, and how our lives began to veer off course? And what if I told you that in just seven days, we could transform that low point you're in, that problem you can't seem to solve, that habit that's holding you back?

After years of trial and error, I was finally able to identify the stumbling blocks that had been causing havoc in my life. And I'll tell you what: it wasn't easy for them to travel alone. That is why I wrote this book – to help you empower yourself in the right way. To save you the time and opportunities that I lost while trying to find my way and reroute my journey. In just seven days, we will address the most important factors influencing our habit formation and identify the areas where we all fall short when it comes to discipline. Yes, I said it – we all fail when it comes to committing to ourselves. But why is that? Why is it that everything and everyone always seems to come first? How did we get to the point where we couldn't recognize ourselves? How do our happiness and success become a memory rather than a way of life? If we are not mindful of ourselves and our actions, it is all too easy to become engrossed in the things of this world, and we end up trying to merely survive when we should be laying the groundwork for us to thrive.

And it all starts with a single decision, which is followed by another, and then another every day until it all too quickly turns into a nightmare. You are making a decision right now, and you will have to make another one very soon. You have the option of continuing to live in a cycle that has kept you down for so long, or you can let your habits conquer you. You could also choose to flip it around and let me guide you step by step into the life you've always desired. A week may seem insignificant, but so does a habit. Remember how harmless you thought it was to check your Instagram account once in a while before going to bed? You probably had no idea how much sleep you'd lose each night scrolling aimlessly through your feed. Can you imagine all of the influencers you follow in the early hours of the morning? Examine the timestamps on their posts. I'm willing to bet that the majority of them have already been knocked out by that point.

The British Journal of General Practice published a weight-loss study in 2012, stating that small steps are the best way to form habits. And that is exactly what we will do in the pages that follow. Every day, we will uncover and dissect a new aspect – some of which you may have previously dismissed as insignificant – to assist you in changing your habits in more practical ways. The goal is not to begin improving only to burn out from overexcitement and regress. We intend to create and develop a completely new way of life that will encourage and compel you to think about your actions, evaluate your thoughts, and evaluate your current mode of operation in ways you have never done before. We will put your mindset to the test by putting seemingly simple practices to the test, prompting you to adjust to a more prosperous state of being.

I'll agree with you on this: It's been a long year, a long month, and a tiring week. So why struggle any longer than necessary? The key to smart living could be just a few steps ahead. The missing piece to your financial freedom and prosperity could be closer than you think.

You might feel compelled to flip through the pages and extract as much information as possible. But that is not the way to solve a problem.

Consider it a well-digested meal. Pay as much attention to those habits as you did to them to break them. Consider what is important to you, how much you value it, and what you would do to be able to excel in it again. When we look at our lives through the lens of hope, our challenges become more manageable.

My challenge to you is to spend the next seven days travelling with me through this guide as I go over top suggestions, advice, and exercises that you can use to reclaim control of your life. By the end of this week, you will be fully prepared to face any new challenge after discovering the treasure that lies within you. You can shape your future. And, once again, the decision is entirely yours; therefore, make it wisely.

Day 1:

Who Am I? And Why Am I Like This?

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How insignificant is it that there are currently over 7 billion people on the planet, and less than a fifth of them truly understand the capabilities of the vessels that they own? The human body is one of the most intricate creations to date. Scientists have tried for years to replicate its unique detail using robotics and other technology, but none have succeeded. Perhaps it's because they approach the problem from the wrong direction, attempting to solve it from the outside rather than the inside. How can we possibly replicate something we don't understand?

True, our actions speak louder than our words, but our habits scream louder than both. And our need to hide our identity behind bushes is just one of many mysteries that some have yet to unravel. Allow me to reveal that truth to you as we embark on this journey. Allow yourself to be open-minded, not about what I've written on these pages, but about yourself and your true identity.

We frequently believe that we have it all figured out, that our lives are already in motion, and that they were predestined to follow. But what if I could disprove you? What if I could show you were so many of us have gone wrong? The answer is simple, but it is difficult to discover and even more difficult to accept. Perhaps it's because the truth demands our attention and our minds refuse to give it to us. However, it does not have to be complicated or feel like a burdensome task. The rest becomes effortless once you recognize who you are and appreciate yourself for what you are truly made of.

And I can demonstrate what I'm referring to today.

Habit Formation: A Scientific Approach

Do you know that the brain can change its shape? It's true, and this not-so-magical power is referred to by scientists as neuroplasticity.

You may have heard about it in the background of a Discovery Channel program about the human body. Neuroplasticity is the ability of our nervous system – its neurons and neural networks – to change their connections in response to the newly acquired information. It is also in charge of determining physiological patterns when an organ is damaged. It's a common misconception that once the brain is fully developed, it can't change its structure. So, allow me to persuade you otherwise.

In reality, certain areas of the organ are hard-wired, but other parts can be re-calibrated to perform their functions more effectively whenever it is appropriate. This means that the brain has a natural way of getting rid of influences that aren't beneficial to it in any way.

Now imagine the brain as a farmer and the neurons as a single interconnected tree. Our neurons branch out in the early stages of life to form small connection pathways called synapses. Our synapses more than quadruple within the first three years of life as the brain develops. When the system starts processing information, some of these synapses become stronger, and the tree begins to grow. The brain, like