And me.
I recently had to gave up a negative habit/addiction. Circumstances mandated I drop it, and I was ready. While the habit/addiction wasn’t destroying my life, it was enslavement to a behavior, an item, an idea. And that enslavement did not enhance any aspect of my life. So I was not at peace with it.
I overheard a conversation in public, near the end of my 35-day challenge. Two women were chatting, and one of them casually said something about the Force of Habit. I thought, "Yeah, I’m going to write an article on that." I need to process this idea, because I’m fixin’ to tackle another big bad habit, starting tomorrow. I need all the help I can get.
Habit is a powerful force, far beyond what we generally realize or acknowledge. When we consider the beneficial choices we make each day, we see the force of habit working to support our goals and our lives. Morning routines are a good example. It can feel strange when the morning routine must be altered or interrupted. Few of us could function well without a basic structure of habits to shape our days and nights. Particularly if we are working on important personal, vocational, spiritual, or other goals.
There is wisdom within us that knows which habits aren’t serving us well. Instead of acknowledging the power of habits, we are prone to demoralizing and negative self-talk. We may label ourselves as weak, lazy, stupid failures. And so, the enslavement of the habit is compounded with the enslavement of false and fearful ideas about ourselves, our lives, and our worlds. We accidentally become addicted to the habit and all the messy stories that feed it.
Wisdom tells us we want our lives to be satisfying, fun,authentic, and meaningful. Fear tells us we aren’t worthy or capable. Ignoring inspiration and submitting to fear creates an internal conflict, in which we always lose.
Changing a habit is the perfect opportunity for self-study, under the microscope of discipline. As such, it can be playful, interesting, and informative. Too often, changing a habit becomes a miserable, stressful, judgement-laden effort—doomed to fail because we are carrying too much negative and fearful baggage on the journey.
Tackling a big bad habit is fear-inducing, to be sure. But the satisfaction of discipline is gratifying, in itself. Being master of ourselves is the most powerful practice we can attempt. Being willing to learn, grow, take a risk, and even possibly fail is the essence of courage. It required courage to take our first steps, and it took courage to haul our little diapered butts up from the ground to take the next one. And we took those steps and fell and tried again because it was fun, interesting, powerful, compelling. If there was fear, it was minor compared to the clear advantages of navigating this world on two feet.
Tomorrow I will practice discipline and give up another habit. I’ve tried before with this one, and I'm trying again. Why not? I've learned much in my past attempts and I know that will serve me.
What else have I got to do with myself, but keep practicing the life of my dreams?
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