You sprinkle your day with habits. Your habits can be a friend or a foe.
Habits can help you approach your tasks in a more efficient manner - imagine the time you'll save when you've established a place for those keys.
You have exercise habits - or if you don't, consider turning one into a "law", like I have. Read about it on this post.
You'll find them in speech - the ums and ahhs and other habits that are counted in Toastmasters. These fillers may initially give you pause to think, or they may provide the password into acceptance by a social group.
Some habits are cute and harmless, while others serve to annoy. Even Mark Twain had a word to say about habits in Pudd'nhead Wilson:
"Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits."
Your habit building muscles, just like the muscles in your body, get stronger with use. Strengthen your stress undressing skills to balance your nervous system and tone your habits.
For good or for bad, habits carry you towards pleasure and away from pain. Yes, you read that correctly. To find out how, please read this month's HealthCentral.com post - Health Habits and RA. Even if you don't have rheumatoid arthritis, you may find this article useful for discovering how your habits have taken root.
Related posts:
I have not found breaking habits good or bad difficult except for one major one – smoking. I finally quit, I hope last November and I hope to stay away from it for good. I gave up non vegetarian food and liquor without any trouble but this one habit bugged me till last year. Getting into new habits is as difficult. Just look at how many people find it difficult to get into a routing of exercise!
Congrats on breaking those habits, Ramana. You are a fine example of what determination can do.
Hello Marianna,
Do you know Dr. Ellen Weber (a.k.a @ellenfweber)? Thought you might enjoy her post: “Dare to Risk for Change You Crave?”. http://www.brainleadersandlearners.com/basal-ganglia/dare-to-risk-for-change-you-crave/
When Dr. Weber writes that we can get ourselves out of those “basil ganglia ruts” and “reboot for rejuvenation” — I thought: “Aha, she and Auntie Stress are thinking alike!”
Now that’s double the encouragement to see what needs changing up!
Jackie
Yes, I do know Dr. Ellen from Twitter. Thanks for adding more brain power to this post by sharing this link, Jackie.
Great post and that for sharing it!~ You folks are awesome! We need to have a stress free dinner at some point and tip glasses to a fun adventure! Now that’s a habit I can live with! Thanks all! Ellen
Jackie is like a electrical cord – plugging people in and connecting (and reconnecting) them with one another. I love that idea of dinner, Ellen! Fun, energizing and inspiring! *clink* Cheers!
Hi Marianna,
You have a fun exchange going on here! 🙂
Your thoughtful post on nurturing good habits brings to my mind these two quotes:
“How we spend our days is how we spend our lives.” – Charlie Gilkey
“Take full responsibility for your environment and behaviors. Everything you do sets you up for success or puts another obstacle in your way.”
– Craig Ballantyne
Essentially, our lives are made up [primarily] of various habits – some of which are good and helpful and some of which may not be in our best interest. To improve our lives, it is very helpful to set our environment etc. so as to support as much as possible the application of whatever positive habits we’d like to practice so that we don’t have to think about them or spend much energy/thought on doing them.
Cheers!
Hi Dorlee,
We do! We can scooch over and make room at the table for you. 😉
Thanks for advancing this post with your quotes and thoughts.