According to Mark Twain:

“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits.”

When I get up in the morning, the first thing I do (after teeth-brushing and other a.m. necessities) is fill up my tea kettle — then Kayla, my 10-year-old boxer gets her treat.

We are both locked into this routine. If something happens to disrupt Kayla getting a treat after I turn on my kettle, she will not let me rest until she gets one.

Me, if I don’t get my tea I feel like I’m missing something. You may feel the same about your morning coffee, or sadly that cigarette after lunch.

Why do we feel so ‘off’ if these little moments in life go missing on occasion?

They are our habits.

Habits are great when they result in sneezing into your sleeve (which we should all be doing by the way) and brushing your teeth before bedtime.

Not good if reaching for a sweet is part of every tea drinking event (yes, done that), or lighting up a butt without even thinking about whether or not you really want one.

Habits can be either mental or physical. My tea drinking and Kayla’s treats are physical habits. Something tangible is happening.

But oftentimes, habits take place in our minds. Victims of mental and emotional habits, we can be plagued by limiting thoughts — which truly are the most detrimental of all.

Thoughts like ‘I can’t’, ‘I’m not smart enough’, ‘I have no ambition’, or ‘I’m such a loser’ are thoughts that paralyze.

The Cambridge English Dictionary defines habits as:

Something that you do often and regularly, sometimes without knowing that you are doing it.

The not knowing that we are doing it has huge repercussions. If our behavior is frequently habitual — some say up to 45% — what does that mean to time as we know it?

How much time is wasted, how much potential is lost due to habits?

According to Paramahansa Yogananda, an Indian yogi and guru who de-mystified meditation and Kriya Yoga for millions of Americans in the 1940’s:

“The initiative to undertake your most important duty in life is often buried beneath the accumulated debris of human habits.”

Haven’t you felt that way sometimes?

• If only I didn’t waste away every evening after dinner watching reruns.
• If only I were motivated enough to take a walk after lunch instead of sitting around gossiping with my co-workers.
• If only I would just save some money instead of spending it on smokes.
• If only I had more confidence.

This doesn’t mean that habits make us bad people. Good habits allow us to get through our day quickly and safely. Imagine if you had to stop and think about what to do every time you crossed the street.

But bad habits most times stick to us by accident. Once repeated enough times, we’re doomed.

Until we change our understanding. And that means knowing your triggers.

 “Make a conscious decision, no matter what it is, and know that that choice will have consequences.”

Awareness is key. So is not blaming yourself after every failed attempt to change. My husband quit smoking three times — not just once, three times — but he didn’t give up and he didn’t give in. And the last time it finally stuck.

I believe Socrates had it right when he said:

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new.

What does Nike say? ‘Just do it’? Easy right? Not so easy… Let me share with you one thing I’ve learned over the years.

Success Depends On Preparation

When you are trying to make a change, you must set yourself up to succeed. Going to the gym in the morning is less likely to happen if you get up and follow your old routine — or should I say — habits!

However, if you organize your gym bag the night before along with your gym clothes and sneakers, have ready that energy snack you’ll eat before you get there, and plan to just roll out of bed brush your teeth and go — you will succeed.

Same if you plan to lose that weight you’ve been struggling with for months or years. You can’t have all the same foods in your fridge and expect to succeed! You need a plan — the groceries that support your goal.

Get rid of the chocolate! (This one is for me.)

By following this new rule — success is in the preparation — you can concentrate on the new habit (exercise or improved eating, introducing positive thinking) rather than lamenting about the old habits that got you out of shape, overweight, or depressed about life in the first place.

The ego in us doesn’t like change and it can come up with all kinds of excuses to procrastinate — I know, I’ve mastered the art of procrastination on more than one occasion — as habits depend on routine behavior with no thinking involved.

So, set yourself up by preparing ahead of time, don’t think about it when it’s time to act, and just do. Every time you have a limiting thought, replace it with one that makes you feel inspired.

In two to three weeks your old habits will be overcome by the new.

Life will be good!

You might also like: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/simple-mini-habits-can-change-life/

 

Tune in next week for The Meaning Of Religion. After all, it is December!

“Have a Happy-Merry!”

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