In response to questions about breaking harmful habits and sticking to helpful ones, Gurudev shared the following:

We still continue to do things that we know, intellectually, harm us. But, somewhere, there's a promise of happiness or joy from it. 

If you do these things, it's out of sheer habit, number one. Second, there could be an expectation of some sort of pleasure. 

Habits and expectations of joy

Smoking and drugs don't bring great bliss to people, but dropping them is very painful because they have become a habit. This is one situation.

Habits can push you into that corner of repeating things though you don't enjoy them. 

On the other side, certain things you do because subconsciously you believe you're going to get some joy out of it. 

These are the only two situations possible. Now, how can you get out of them?

Love, fear, and greed

Suppose someone tells you, “Look, if you stop smoking, you'll get so much luck that you'll win the lottery in one month.” Or “If you stop smoking you'll get a million dollars.” 

I bet everyone would say, “Only one month? I can do it for one and a half months.” They'll count 30 days because they don't want to miss one, and maybe they'll count 35 days also. 

One million dollars, that greed, that aspiration. Aspiration can get you out of your habit. 

Second, fear. If doctors say, “Come on, if you drink one more time your liver will stop working, and you'll be finished.” You'll see that many alcoholics will stop drinking when doctors scare them about their liver being damaged.

They stop drinking. No addiction center can help them as much as that fear factor. It helps them to snap out of that habit.

Third is love. If someone very close to you asks you to promise something. “Come on, promise me that you will not do this for me. Will you?”

They say, “Okay.” That love for someone very close to you can help you come out of that habit.

 Making time for meditation

However busy you are, do you skip your meals? 

Do you skip your showers? Do you skip brushing your teeth? No, right? 

So, I would call this mental hygiene. Like you have dental hygiene, this is mental hygiene. 

Take that ten minutes to meditate and do some deep breathing. It will add quality time to your life.

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Editor’s note:

To learn more about our pillar program, SKY Breath Meditation, check out our free breath and meditation online session with a live instructor. SKY has helped millions of people around the world improve all aspects of their lives. Learn how you too can benefit from SKY.

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