How to Coach Yourself and Others Essential Knowledge For Coaching | Page 210

them with a positive thought. “I can do this! If Leo can do it, so
can I!” :)
15. Have strategies to defeat the urge. Urges are going to come
— they’re inevitable, and they’re strong. But they’re also
temporary, and beatable. Urges usually last about a minute or
two, and they come in waves of varying strength. You just need
to ride out the wave, and the urge will go away. Some strategies
for making it through the urge: deep breathing, self-massage, eat
some frozen grapes, take a walk, exercise, drink a glass of water,
call a support buddy, post on a support forum.
16. Prepare for the sabotagers. There will always be people
who are negative, who try to get you to do your old habit. Be
ready for them. Confront them, and be direct: you don’t need
them to try to sabotage you, you need their support, and if they
can’t support you then you don’t want to be around them.
17. Talk to yourself. Be your own cheerleader, give yourself pep
talks, repeat your mantra (below), and don’t be afraid to seem
crazy to others. We’ll see who’s crazy when you’ve changed your
habit and they’re still lazy, unhealthy slobs!
18. Have a mantra. For quitting smoking, mine was “Not One
Puff Ever” (I didn’t make this up, but it worked — more on this
below). When I wanted to quit my day job, it was “Liberate
Yourself”. This is just a way to remind yourself of what you’re
trying to do.
19. Use visualization. This is powerful. Vividly picture, in your
head, successfully changing your habit. Visualize doing your new
habit after each trigger, overcoming urges, and what it will look
like when you’re done. This seems new-agey, but it really works.
20. Have rewards. Regular ones. You might see th