It's rather embarassing to admit that one has bad habits, but it's a rare person that doesn't have a few. I know I certainly do.

Since I believe that our habits add up to become the sum of our life, I really want to change my bad habits. Easier said than done, but here's an approach that can help.

In order to break a bad habit (or develop a good habit) there has to be a more inspiring reason than “it’s bad for me” or “I should” or “I shouldn’t do it”. One way to do that is to connect your habit change to your personal definition of success.

Try completing the following sentence three times:

I know I’m being successful when…

What you've just done is to define the three things in life that you value most.

Here’s an example. A coaching client wanted to change his exercise habits. He had tried many times without success. I asked him to define his personal definitions of success, and one of his three statements was “I know I’m being successful when I am enjoying time with my family”.

I then asked him “how does exercising fit in with your value of spending time with your family?”

BINGO! The answer was obvious to him: “If I exercise I will live a longer and healthier life and be able to see my grandchildren grow up”.

Suddenly sticking to an exercise program was more than a “should” or even a “want”; it became a “desire” because he could see the link to his greatest value.

What about you? Do you have bad habits you're ready to let go of? Could linking them to your personal definitions of success help you?