Breaking bad…habits

We all have vices. I have plenty enough to call myself out on. I’m sure you got a few don’t ya. If you don’t, you’re not from this planet so leave the convo. No! Wait! I’m only kidding, no one is perfect. Seriously, I and millions of others suffer from default traits and little quirks that can drive others mad and we don’t notice them all the time.

I will go first. Hello, my name is, Heidi, and I am, well was, a habitual nail biter. I had been biting my nails probably since about three or four years old. My mom, dad, and so many others through out my life would yell, “Keep your hands out of your mouth!” My mom even bought me an anti nail biting polish and that didn’t phase me. You could slap my hands from my lips and I would just totally ignore it. Nail biting is a nasty habit and a hard one to break.

I had attempted to quit a few times in my adult life, only to fall off the glory wagon and resume the detrimental torture to my nails and skin. When my dad had become sick last year, I had stopped biting to show him and he would be proud. On the eve of his death, I had this nervous energy and didn’t understand why. By the time I fell asleep, I had bit all my nails off. The next evening, he would pass suddenly. It was like my old habit knew the impending grief I was about to be stricken with.

We can fast forward to over year and a half now. I have been working on self improvement for quite sometime and one day I found this book, BADA**HABITS, by Jen Sincero while buying groceries. Yes, I at Walmart. I was so glad I did. It spoke to me from the shelf. I started reading right away and I couldn’t put it down. It was enlightening and even instructions on how to stop this habit or any other. I read a story she shares of another nail biter and I was inspired. I completely stopped the biting after 40 years. I did the work, kept the faith, and I have nails! I can scratch those itchies really well now!

I share this book with you in case you are struggling with some annoying habit that hinders your progress or others around you. It is a delightful read. She is an absolute fireball of a writer. We all have things to work on within ourselves and recognizing our pitfalls is a sure start to be a better version of who we need and want to be.

My best to you and your journey!