5 Secrets To Breaking Bad Habits

Explore James' Teachings and Insights on All Things Spiritual

5 Secrets To Breaking Bad Habits

Oct 9, 2016 | JVP's Blog

People ask why would I want to be a medium and talk to dead people, and my overwhelming response is always “I RECEIVE AND SHARE LOVE.” What a wonderful mission to have! My dream is to start a movement that will send ripples of love into the universe. If you’re following the news, I’m sure you’ll agree that right now the world and everything that’s a part of it; humans, animals, plants, trees, oceans, will benefit from a good dose of love and compassion.
My latest book, The Power of Love explores every facet of love. I’ve included stories, exercises and teachings to inspire, enlighten and challenge you. I start with place where all love begins – self-love. Before you can project love, and attract it back to you, you must love yourself.
You can’t plant a garden without first clearing out the rocks and weeds – and you can’t love yourself without first changing some of your old behaviors.

Five habits to (lovingly) kick out of your life for good.

It’s time to STOP:

1) Living someone else’s idea of your life.
Loving yourself means being true to YOU. You are not your mother, your father, your sibling, your spouse, or anyone else, so stop living the life you think they’d want for you. I’ve spoken to countless souls, living and dead, who told me they regretted squandering precious time on earth living up to others expectations rather than following their own soul path. Don’t waste another second – start listening to your heart today!

2) Holding yourself up to a standard of perfection.
News flash! We’re all human, and not a single one of us is perfect. The secret to self-love is not only accepting your flaws, but also loving them. Imagine a newborn baby – right out of the womb, they might be blotchy, wrinkled and red, but to their loving parents they’re beautiful. Look at yourself in the same way – you are a beautiful child of the Universe. Say NO to negative self- talk, because your words and your thoughts have power. Instead use positive affirmations, like my favorite, “Healthy am I, happy am I, holy am I.”

3) Spending time trying to please toxic people.
Are you someone who needs to please everyone? When someone in your life is aloof, critical or unkind, does it trigger an automatic response, making you determined to work harder to gain that person’s approval or affection? Do you find yourself making excuses for other people’s bad behavior? When you do this for any length of time, it can make you feel “less than” the other person – and that’s the opposite of self-love. Reprogram yourself! When faced with toxic friends, relatives or co-workers, be polite, and protect yourself with the knowledge that their behavior is their problem, not yours. In the words of Wayne Dyer “How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours.”

4) Being a “Yes Man” or “Yes Woman.”
Practice self-care by spending time on people and activities that fulfill you, and are in harmony with your soul. To do so, you will likely have to occasionally say no to other obligations that take up space in your life — space that could be better used doing something you really want to do. Break the habit of automatically saying yes to other people’s requests, and schedule time for exercise, meditation, gardening – whatever you love!

5) Hanging on to old grudges.
Along with self-love, forgiveness is the best gift you can give yourself. Consider the alternative. When you refuse to forgive, you remain attached to a bad experience and become trapped in all those painful emotions. That holds YOU back. In truth, forgiveness is something you do for yourself, regardless if the other person deserves it. But sometimes, it’s hard to forgive and forget. In fact, being unable to forgive is such a common roadblock to happiness and self-love, I’ve decided to host a webinar to help you to Forgive the Unforgivable.

Make the commitment to be an ambassador of love by taking the first step in your journey – learning to love yourself, and don’t let those old, un-loving habits get in the way. Be sure to bring along The Power of Love – your official guidebook to manifesting love in all it’s forms!