I just finished a book by Charles Duhigg called The Power of Habit and it blew me away with its analysis of human behavior. I found it incredible the extent to which habits determine our actions and responses to stimuli and gratified that he offered a way to change even the most deeply ingrained habits in our lives. There are a few thoughts about habits that I have taken away from this book and others that I've read. Habits are just that- neither good nor bad, they simply are a fact of our human existence. It can seem a little strange when we realize how much of our lives are simply automatic responses and not conscious thought, but this is not bad, it's just how the mind works. All of us have habits that are good and 99% of us also have habits we'd rather not have. Some of those with bad habits are able to overcome them without much seeming difficulty- many others regard change as impossible. Change IS possible but the most important component of changing is believing this. Belief in change is what AA means with "fake it till you make it"- live as though it's possible long enough to start believing that it is. So here is what I would tell anyone dealing with the hardship of changing a bad habit:
-You CAN do it- the biggest part is just believing that it's possible
-You must make a deliberate decision to change and reorganize your life around that decision. This involves making specific choices about your life to avoid triggers for your unwanted behavior be they people, places, or things.
-Find new and productive or healthful ways of expending time and energy to redirect the time and energy that would otherwise be used to perpetuate these behaviors. For me specific examples include developing a more complete social life, picking up sailing and biking, and starting this blog.
-Finally and most importantly, pray. Develop your relationship with God- if you trust Him, amazing doors in the world and in your soul will be opened that make all of this worth it.
This is my first foray into blogging (I must confess, up to now I've never really even read blogs) but I hope that this is the beginning of an incredible journey for myself and anyone who condescends to read what I write.
Until next time.....
