1 Tip To Break Your Bad Habits And Regain Control Of Happiness

Have you heard the story about the man who brought peanut butter sandwiches to work everyday? He was always complaining, telling his co-workers he hated peanut butter sandwiches. He'd say, "I'm so tired of peanut butter sandwiches. And the white bread is always too soft," or, "Oh, no. Here it is again ... another peanut butter sandwich," as he opened his lunch pail.

His co-workers pitied him and assumed that his wife, or someone where he lived, always prepared the same sandwich, day after day. Perhaps that was the reason why he did not know how to be happy.

One day, one of the men said, "Why don't you ask your wife to make a different kind of sandwich?" to which the man replied, "My wife? I don't have a wife. I make my own lunches."

The morale of this story is that so often, we ourselves, are repeating in our lives what is unpleasant and distasteful. Oftentimes, habits have set in and we don't even realize that something unpleasant has been set in motion ... not by a stranger, but by ourselves.

For example, I was uncomfortable sitting at my computer in my home. Why? Simply because the chair was not the right height for me. It would catch my knees at a bad angle and they would ache a lot after working at the computer. One day I realized that I had the power to sit at the computer with a different chair.

Of course, on some level I knew that all along. But, habitual patterns had set in and so I never thought about replacing it. It was probably even less on my mind, as my husband was perfectly content with the old chair.

Once I took back my power, it took me less than a week to break my habit and buy a really comfortable office chair at a discount office supply house. I love my new chair. The seat can go up and down, even forward and backwards and my knees really thank me.

Take a look around your world and see how many peanut butter sandwiches you are eating.

Watch this Video. Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known Positive Psychologist is the creator of The Enchanted Self ®,  a positive psychology method for happiness. She is in private practice in Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein.  Dr. Barbara can be found on the web, interviewed, writing articles and posting video 'TED' style talks on Happiness, Positive Psychology, Relationships and Parenting. She has been a contributor to Heart and Soul, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Redbook, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal, Time online, the Today Show and Family Circle Magazine. Some of her books include: The Enchanted Self, A Positive Therapy;  The Truth, Diary of a Gutsy Tween  and Around Every Corner, Romance & Mystery.  All can be found on Amazon. Major websites include: www.enchantedself.com, www.thetruthforgirls.com and on Facebook: Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein-Psychologist & Author. Tweet her at: @drbholstein or @truth4girls.