Tag Archive for self discipline

Can You Learn To Control Your Behavior?

June 30, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

Can You Learn To Control Your Behavior?

You want to change and control your behavior. This is a big part of personal growth and development.

Or you might want to learn more self-control.

You want to better manage your time, lose weight, or manage your money. You can do any of these things when you change your behavior in some way.

But changing your behavior is harder than most people think. which is why so many people have a hard time sticking to New Year’s resolutions. So, what’s the best way to learn to control your behavior?

Let’s take a closer look at all the things that influence your behavior.

What Controls Behavior?

We know certain things are bad for us or not in our best interest, but we keep doing them anyway.

There’s not a person among us who doesn’t know that getting enough exercise is important for our health. Yet we’re currently facing an obesity epidemic.

So, knowing what you need to do is not enough in itself to change our behavior.

A Goal

Having a goal is an important component to changing behavior. Without a goal, there’s no clear destination to work toward.

A goal provides you with motivation and a clear path forward. Having a goal makes your behavior more important to you and helps it clarifies what you want to achieve.

Goals should be realistic and attainable. And you should set a time frame for achieving them.

A Plan

Now that you have a destination, which is your goal, it’s time to develop a route, which is your plan. To get to where you want to be, you need to determine the precise steps you’ll take.

Your goals dictate your eventual, final behavior change. And your plan includes all the incremental changes you’ll put into your life to form a daily routine.

This is the game plan toward changing your behavior.

The Right Mindset

A realistic and specific goal and a plan for achieving it are both necessary for behavior change. But without the right mindset, you’re not likely to reach permanent change.

You have to believe that you can change your behavior. Know that you have the power and will to make this change that you believe to be important.

Controlling Your Emotions

Your emotions also play a significant role in your behavior. When you’re upset, depressed, or stressed, you can neglect the behaviors you know are good for you.

You’ll lean toward the ones that make you feel better. We use our behavioral choices to help overcome negative emotions.

Learn to identify and then control your emotions. This is essential for controlling your behavior.

Otherwise, you’ll find your best efforts at behavioral change sabotaged by negative emotions.

Putting it All Together

So, if you want to change your behavior long-term and enact real change in your life, here’s what you want to focus on. First, you need a decisive, realistic goal about what you want to change.

Then you need a plan for a gradual working toward this behavioral change.

You need to track and adjust your attitude and mindset about this new behavior. Be sure to keep your thinking positive and goal oriented.

Also pay attention to your emotional state.

Learn to handle emotions in a productive way. Don’t let them get in the way of your efforts

Combine these points and move closer to making lasting behavior changes.

JohnK 6-30-2025
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “To change a habit, make a conscious decision, then act out the new behavior”

~Maxwell Maltz

You CAN Break Bad Habits

June 16, 2025 John Uncategorized No comments

You CAN Break Bad Habits

Have you been trying to break a bad habit for a long time? You read about how to do it and give it a try.

But, time and again, you keep repeating the same bad habits.

Are you eating the wrong foods? Are you smoking and can’t seem to kick the habit.?

Before you start working on how to break your bad habits, GenuLines suggests you think back to how you started them.

What kind of mindset did you have at that point? Were you a teenager who wanted to fit in?

You could also be overeating because you’re stressed out about your job.

Once you’ve identified how your habits started, it’s time to determine how important they are in your life. The correct answer would be, “they’re not important.”

But, they are important, or you wouldn’t continue those habits.

Try to list why they’re important. In other words, why do you need to continue with your bad habits?

If you get to this point of clarity you’ve turned the corner on breaking the habit. The reasons are important but don’t dwell on them and beat yourself up.

You can’t do anything about the past. It’s best to move on and try to stop continuing the habits.

The Key to Change

Stop bad habits by replacing them them with good ones.

If you’re a smoker and you have a craving for a cigarette, go out for a jog. Jogging can work for bad diets as well by taking your mind off your cravings.

You can deal with poor eating habits by having accessible fruit and vegetables.. Ideally, you want to have these ready-to-eat, and place them right next to junk food.

Of course, getting rid of the junk food in the first place is a great way not to have it within reach.

The next step in breaking habits is to realign your mindset. You need to focus on what you’re gaining by not continuing the bad habit.

For instance, if you’re having a problem with alcohol, try to keep focused on the way you feel without alcohol. For most people, that’s better.

You can break bad habits. It does take some effort.

But, your life will change for the better, if you’re willing to put in the effort.

JohnK 6-16-2025
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Don’t let your sins turn into bad habits”

~Saint Teresa of Avila

Article image by Artem Podrez: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-burger-smiling-4728880/

Develop Willpower And Self-Control- Change Your Behavior

June 3, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

Develop Willpower And Self-Control- Change Your Behavior

Willpower and self-control are crucial ingredients for success. So, how can you develop each one to change your behavior and thought process for the better?

Stay with GenuLines to find out.

Willpower

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Strength doesn’t come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will [power].”

Yet, what exactly is willpower?

Willpower is your ability to turn down and curb inner conflicts. These include short-term temptations to meet long-term goals.

Say you want to supersize your takeout order or smoke a cigarette. But, deep down, you know you shouldn’t.

Or it could come in the reverse. It could be something you know you should do, but keep procrastinating to avoid doing it. like going to the gym or filing your taxes.

When you reach this crossroads, that’s when your willpower kicks in. This instantaneous reaction stems from the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

This front part of the brain regulates behavior and decision-making abilities.

So, the first thing you need to do to develop your willpower is to keep your prefrontal cortex in good shape by:

Getting quality sleep each night

Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet

Exercising 3–5 times a week

Managing stress

Can We Run Out of Willpower?

Experts say that we have a finite stockpile of willpower. You start your day with only so much and the more you use it, the faster you run out.

Take, for example, trying to control your temper on your way to work, at work, then on your way back home from work. You also use up your willpower when you try to ignore distractions.

Things like helping your kids with their homework. Or working out a compromise with your partner.

Our willpower gets worn out from all that repetitive use. Muck like our actual muscles do.

How to Develop Your Willpower

Check out these tips to increase your reserve of willpower.

Learn breathing techniques

Practice daily affirmations

Meditate each day

Focus on what’s important now by postponing what you shouldn’t do for later

Limit your intake of addictive substances, like alcohol and nicotine

Self-Control

Self-control the “restraint exercised over one’s impulses, emotions, or desires.” It works side-by-side with willpower.

When you practice self-control, you direct your willpower toward the outcome you want.

This means that at times, you’ll have to not do something, like when you want to eat healthy and pass on the supersize meal. It also means that there will be times when you have to put in a conscious effort to do something.

Like building good habits or getting started on those taxes.

Ego Depletion

And, as with willpower, it’s also finite. So each time you use self-control, your power to make sound decisions diminishes a little.

This goes on until you start again the following morning. This is what experts refer to as ‘ego depletion’.

It happens because you spend most of your time trying your best to focus on making decisions and exerting your willpower.

So, it’s no surprise that by the end of the day, you feel depleted and exhausted. And your thinking becomes incoherent.

You’re less able to make choices you won’t regret in the morning.

How to Develop Self-Control

You can improve your levels of self-control and reduce the impact of ego depletion. Many of these ways rely on the same techniques used to boost your willpower. like getting good sleep and managing stress.

Others are a bit different. Take a look:

Learn how to regulate your emotions.

Practice self-compassion.

Become aware of your wants and needs to direct energy toward self-improvement.

Be efficient in managing your time and energy more.

Create short and long-term goals to stay motivated.

JohnK 6-3-2024

chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control; these three alone lead life to sovereign power”

~Alfred Lord Tennyson

Article image by Ketut Subiyanto: https://www.pexels.com/photo/crop-kid-weighing-on-scale-4474052/

Are You Changing Your Mind Too Much?

May 20, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

Are You Changing Your Mind Too Much?

If you could be more of one thing, what would it be? Do you wish you were more decisive?

Do you feel like changing your mind too often is a nasty habit?

There are times when a change of mind is appropriate, but… do you do it too much? There might be something in that.

Generally, the decision-making process is to review the information at hand. This makes sure you’re prepared and informed.

And it allows you to make the right decision, right?

That’s the idea.

Not all decisions are quite as cut and dry as that. When you make a decision, you may find yourself doubting your decision.

You second guess yourself. You feel like an unprepared flake.

And you worry that people see you as undependable. We all go through periods of indecisiveness.

It’s something that we all do in degrees. As in, you may cancel plans because you changed your mind about meeting someone.

You could change your mind about your chosen career. Then, you beat yourself up about the change of heart.

You did so much work and then went off in the opposite direction. There’s no shame in changing your mind.

The habit of second-guessing yourself is the real problem. So it’s less about indecisiveness and more about inability to trust your decisions.

If you have the ability to reassess a situation and change your decision, that’s a positive. There’s a major difference between being flexible and being indecisive.

Most of us fall somewhere in the middle of flexibility and indecisiveness.

The Differences

You may look at your habit of changing your mind a lot as frustrating. But it may show that you’re curious and more aware than others.

You aren’t afraid to admit that you made a poor decision and change course.

What you can’t do is control your impulse to change your mind. It might be a relationship, your career or a course at college.

Sticking with it… might be wasting your time and leaving you discontented with life. The ability to admit you were wrong suggests that your character is one of strength.

It might lead you to a place of contentment.

You may go back and forth, but aren’t you making more progress than if you were to have stayed standing still? One of the biggest reasons we change our minds too often is we worry about what other people think.

For example, your parents may have an expectation for your life. You might feel as though you’re on the wrong track, but you keep at it because you don’t want to disappoint them.

Sure, it may disappoint them if you stop your progress and change directions. That will only be temporary, though. At their core, they want you to be happy.

You may worry about letting others down if you chase your dream or skip out on a job. Your happiness is your own, though.

So, don’t concern yourself with what everyone else thinks about your decisions.

Few people have it all worked out and that’s okay. And people don’t think as much about your decisions as you’ve convinced yourself they do.

Don’t ignore your gut

If you have a nagging feeling about a decision, it’s not too late to make a change even if you’ve already made the decision.

Don’t be afraid to change your mind, Even if you believe you do it too often.

Changing your mind is a strength of your character, not a weakness.

JohnK 5-20-2024
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything”

George Bernard Shaw

5 Behaviors You Don’t See In Highly Successful People

November 20, 2023 John Uncategorized No comments

Successful people aren’t always on their best behavior. Sometimes they show their less than attractive sides.

But GenuLines wants to tell you about some tendencies that won’t show up in their daily inter-actions

5 Behaviors You Don’t See In Highly Successful People

Everyone has a different interpretation of what success is, or what it means to them. But, when you break it down, most everyone can come to an agreement on it’s meaning.

Success is accomplishing a goal, or attaining a meaningful purpose.

That may be a loving relationship, or it could be a form of artistic expression. It might be career advancement.

Regardless of what the goal is, true success is never an an easy upward, or stable journey. The world’s most successful people are aware of this fact.

And they often have behavioral traits which set them apart from the rest.

If you’re struggling to achieve what you want in life, you may want to consider starting with an inward look. This might mean a shift in your mindset to bring you in line with how successful people behave.

When you work with great leaders and executives you notice what does and doesn’t work in the long-term. It’s not so much personal habits or intrinsic characteristics that determine success.

Instead, it’s about your behavior.

What does behavior mean? It’s about how you communicate and how you react to stressful situations.

It’s also about how you interact with the people around you.

Add to that the attitude you have in dealing with clients and colleagues.

It’s how hard you work. And whether you’re disciplined, and focused.

You may know some dysfunctional people who have gained success. But these behaviors will catch up with them.

Here’s a look at 5 behaviors that you won’t see in highly successful people.

Panic

High pressure and stressful situations in the business world are a common occurrence. Things don’t always go according to plan, and they often go horrifically wrong.

It’s just part of the territory.

What highly successful people don’t do is panic. If you can’t override that adrenaline spike and stay calm during a crisis, you’re not going to last long.

Fanaticism

While passion is a massive driver in success, you can take it too far. Become a fanatic and your energy and passion starts to work against you.

The result? Flawed reasoning, poor decision making, and a skewed perception of reality.

Laziness

When you’re driven to achieve greatness, you have one fundamental truth: it’s going to be a long haul. And it’s going to be a lot of hard work.

That’s why highly successful people are so disciplined, and highly focused. A lot of people are slackers, and quite simply, it’s why they don’t go on to achieve great things.

Naivete’

Okay, so we may all start out with a wide eyed, gullible approach in the business world. However, the sooner you turn skeptical the savvier you become.

And the better your chance at succeeding. Why is this true?

Suckers don’t succeed.

Highly successful people question everything. And they tend to trust, verify, and consider the source.

Oversensitivity

Thin skinned people don’t make great leaders, nor do they tend to be highly successful. They drive themselves crazy with every little criticism.

And they don’t obsess over every comment that offends or upsets them. That’s why seriously great business leaders often have a sense of humility, and a good sense of humor.

While life may be serious, you can’t take yourself too seriously.

JohnK 11-20-2023
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image”

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Article image by Sebastian Herrmann on Unsplash

You Can Create Self-Supporting Habits For Success

October 9, 2023 John Uncategorized No comments

Your success can be built on a dream. But you’ll need the right tools to do it.

The builders at GenuLines show you how your habits can get the job done.

You Can Create Self-Supporting Habits For Success
Have you ever wondered how successful people get where they are? And often, so young?

Okay, we can’t all be Steve Jobs.

But there is untold potential within you.

You need to learn to create self-supporting habits that will help you achieve success. Your behaviors are determined by your habits, so everything that you’ve achieved so far and everything that you will… is down to your habits.

Self-Supporting Habits For Success:

• Pursue Your Passions

We humans generally seek stability, especially when it comes to a career. But those people who go big are willing to pursue the things that interest them.

People work harder when they love what they’re doing.

• Find A Mentor

Having a mentor is one smart way to steer your way to success. There are different types of people you can turn to for mentorship.

They may be a parent, teacher, or someone within your career. Or a famous person whose books you turn to for advice or guidance. yourself.

What successful people are able to do is learn from the mistakes they make. The latter is powerful, what greater motivation than turning failure around.

• Dreams Become Goals

Yes it’s important for you to pursue your passions. But don’t forget that you can use your dreams to set your goals.

• Make Lists

What good is having goals if you don’t have an action plan to achieve them? The key is breaking your goals down into the steps it will take to achieve them.

Creating processes is the key to creating success.

• Be Health Conscious

This might not seem like something of great importance, but… without your health you are nothing. So, eat the right types of food and be mindful of your portions.

Regular exercise a good night’s sleep are very important, too.

• Be Honest

You may think of successful people as ruthless and maybe even underhanded, but in all honesty… honesty is vital. Show principle in every action,

Be fair (not only with the world, but also with yourself),. This allows you to create a vision for your life that will be consistent with your values and ideals.

Don’t compromise when it comes to integrity,. Don’t sacrifice your peace of mind for anything (or anyone).

Honesty is the key here. And it underscores the rest of the self-supporting habits on your list.

• Self-Discipline

When you come right down to it, the list above is useless without self-discipline. The ability to control yourself is one of the most important qualities that you will develop.

And it’s a habit that goes hand in hand with every success in every aspect of your life.

Each of these habits will help you develop as a person and grow the desired results. The habits that you have as of now are what got you where you are today.

But if you want to keep growing and improving then it’s time to build on those habits. So become more focused and driven.

Your success is in your hands.

JohnK 10-9-2023
chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Habit is stronger than reason”