With Christ’s help we can replace our bad habits with good ones.
We all have habits that we are trying to change, whether they are big or small. One habit I’m trying to overcome is spending too much time on TikTok. To change my habit, I decided I was going to stop going on TikTok until I finished all of my homework every day. Did I stick to that? No. But Eliza Broadbent’s article “Stop Making Dead Man’s Goals” teaches me how to make more realistic goals that will help me change my habits.
Photo by Muhammas Rayhan Haripriat
A dead man’s goal is something that a dead man can do. For example, a dead man can go forever without going on TikTok. While this cold turkey method works for some people, it’s quite hard for many others. Instead of making a dead man’s goal, we may find more success when we replace our bad habits with something better. For me, that looks like messaging a friend instead of spending too much time on TikTok. Rather than wasting time, I’m strengthening a friendship.
Changing our habits isn’t always easy, and we may even feel intimidated at the start. But we shouldn’t be paralyzed by this fear. When we rely on Christ, what seems impossible becomes possible. Instead of making a dead man’s goal that we may not stick to, we can be directed by Christ to know how we should replace bad habits with something better. Christ teaches, “My spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (Doctrine and Covenants 84:88). Christ will uplift and support us. We don’t have to change on our own. When we rely on Christ we can know what to change, and we can receive help during the process.
Read Eliza Broadbent’s full article “Stop Making Dead Man’s Goals” to learn more about replacing our bad habits with good habits.
Source: Ensign
—Rebecca Youngs, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY GLEN CARSTENS-PETERS
Find more insights
Take a look at Oakli Van Meter’s article “How to Prioritize and Accomplish What Matters Most” to read about how to prioritize our time.
Read Catherine Niesporek’s article “Choosing Progress Over Perfection” to learn about the importance of valuing our progress.
I had never heard of a dead man’s goal before, and it was interesting to learn about! I also like the idea of gradually replacing one habit with another.