When You're Trying to Ingrain a New Habit

By Marty Nemko

You're sick and tired of that habit: being too quiet at meetings, losing your temper, whatever. So you resolve to do better. And in the beginning you do, but as you get distracted, your focus fades and you start sliding back into your old wicked ways.

What can you do today?
Here's a way to lock in your new habit. Onto your palm, write a letter of the alphabet that stands for your new behavior, for example, T for temper. Use a red pen. When you routinely do your new behavior without even having to think about it, you can wash off your scarlet letter.