When you tell yourself or others that you can’t do something (that tempts you), you’re destined to fail. If you are trying to break a daily ice cream habit, saying, “I can’t eat ice cream.” is asking for trouble. You’re sending a message of deprivation built on willpower.

If you want to be successful, take the willpower out of it. When someone offers you ice cream, say, “No thank you, I don’t eat that.” or “No thank you, I only eat ice cream on Friday nights.” When you reframe things as don’t, there is no need for willpower.

Have you been struggling to give up behaviors that you can’t do? What would happen if you decided that you don’t do that?