While this is helpful for knowing how to take our vitamins, tie our shoelaces, be courteous, or peel a carrot, it doesn't always work for more important concerns. How we deal with aggressive people, self-worth, eating behaviors and other automatic responses need to be regularly evaluated to make sure they're truly helping us, and not getting us stuck in a self-destructive, repetitive cycle.

Just as negative habits develop, so do positive habits, including the habit of being successful. Early in life, this kind of person has succeeded at overcoming obstacles and accomplishing their goals. They then act on the belief that they'll continue to achieve what they set our mind to. Even if something challenging happens, they look at it as an opportunity. They filter perceptions of the event through their past successful experience, and conclude that they'll be able to build something beneficial from the challenge.

There may be times when the result isn't what they'd hoped, and their objective falls apart. In that case, successful people don't focus on the failure. Instead, they learn from it and move forward with an optimistic outlook. Because they have that frame of reference, their subconscious guides them into making choices that leads to the fulfillment of their goals. They've made a habit of being successful. These are the people who seem to have everything positive drop into their laps.

However, sometimes a positive habit can unravel if they're overwhelmed by too many crises for too long a time. A long period of stress can negatively impact their point of view. For example, many years ago, I had several terminally ill friends die within a short span of time. Every time the phone rang, I braced myself, expecting bad news. I was constantly tense, waiting for something else awful to happen. And because of that prevailing attitude, other things in my life began falling apart. But once that period was past, and I recognized that pessimism had become a habit, I began to work on my attitude to expect the best again. As I reestablished the belief about good coming to me, the Universe supported it. Once again, I had unexpected opportunities come into my orbit.

Anyone who's made a habit of not achieving their potential can turn it around. Simply develop the habit of success. It doesn't mean that success will automatically happen. The attitude of success has to be nurtured. Start small, and build on those individual triumphs. An out of shape person doesn't try to run a marathon without training. They have to work up to it. Find minor accomplishments to engender a feeling of success.

For instance, a salesperson could begin calling on prospects who are more willing to make little orders, rather than immediately trying to land the big account. This builds a sense of confidence when they tackle more difficult customers. On a more practical note, if a home or office needs to get organized, don't become overwhelmed by trying to dig in and do it all in a single stretch. Start on one area, and only work for a few minutes at a time. Dwell on the feeling of accomplishment, instead of what still needs to be done.

Answer: A bad habit might have gotten its start in early or during a difficult time in your life. Some people may have learned in childhood to eat too much as a way of nurturing themselves. Or, I knew a woman going through a divorce who developed the habit of falling asleep on the couch while watching television.

At the time the habit formed, the subconscious was just trying to help you: to fit in, to be accepted, to deal with discomfort. You programmed it with the habit. Then the negative habit took on a life of its own, because the subconscious then got the message that "This is what we do to cope."

Since its automatic, it's hard to stay aware all the time to begin to break the habit. It's so easy to fall back into the old pattern. Also, if the subconscious thinks the habit is still necessary, it will fight any weak attempts to change it. Your conscious mind must become determined and committed to a new habit, both mentally and physically, for the subconscious to cooperate with changing. Although the subconscious must follow the directions of the conscious mind, those directions must be clear and consistent.

The subtitle on my copy of this book reads, "Written by a successful man for people who want success." The author was a well-known author and minister for a Religious Science church in New York City. He also co-authored a book (now out of print) with Maxwell Maltz (who wrote "Psychocybernetics").

This book gives straight, practical, down to earth information on how to experience greater success in all areas of your life. The author takes the reader into the depths of how the Universal and creative minds work, and translates abstract concepts into concrete explanations. As you read the information in this book, your consciousness will change to increase your acceptance of abundance, health, joy and peace of mind.

My copy is old and falling apart, with many passages either underlined or highlighted. But I wouldn't trade it for any other, more recent, book. I value it too highly.