We are what our habits make us. They are either moving us forward or holding us back.
Unfortunately, when it comes to habits, it’s much easier to form bad habits than it is a good habit. This is because bad habits are usually easy to do. They take little effort. On the other hand, a good habit requires effort and self-discipline. They are much more difficult to acquire.
“All our life, so far as it has definite form, is but a mass of habits – practical, emotional, and intellectual – systematically organized, for our weal or woe, and bearing us irresistibly toward our destiny whatever it may be.”
-Theron Dumont
Negative habits are time wasting, character eroding, and health destroying. Once developed. A bad habit is difficult to overcome. Once overcome, one must be constantly on guard against slipping back into it. Unlike bad habits, a good habit is much easier to let go. Maintaining a good habit demands constant attention.
It would be much easier to not have formed the bad habit in the first place, but unfortunately, they are often formed in youth, when one lacks the foresight to see ahead the consequences of their actions.
Good habits, once developed, are what drive a person toward success and accomplishment.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act but a habit.”
– Aristotle
One thing that can help keep you adhering to your good habits is to keep your eye on the “big picture.” Keep in mind that each daily task accomplished is moving you toward your goals. It takes about thirty days to form a habit. Once a good habit has been developed, a person feels uncomfortable and ill at ease if he neglects it. Instead of a burden, a new good habit becomes a comfort and a joy.
Don’t be discouraged if you slip up, either by neglecting a good habit or falling back into a bad one. Just pick yourself up and get back on the right track. Admonish yourself to show more resolve but don’t torture yourself and fall into a hopeless depression.
“The greatest glory is in never falling, but rising when you fall.”
-Vince Lombardi
Don’t let people ridicule you for persisting in your good habits. They are just trying to pull you down to their level. You will soon leave them in the dust. People who exercise regularly or try to eat healthy are often derided as being fanatics. Those that criticize are just feeling guilty because they lack the resolve to do what you are doing.
Sit down and think for a moment about what habits you may have. What are your good habits? What habits are hindering you? People of character are the ones who have built good habits into their lives and have eliminated the bad ones. It is your life and your responsibility to govern yourself. You are the master of your ship.
