What Exactly Are Habits?
Habits are things we do repeatedly. But most of the time we are hardly aware that we have them. They're on autopilot.
Some habits are good, such as:
* Exercising regularly
* Planning ahead
* Showing respect for others
Some are bad, like:
* Thinking negatively
* Feeling inferior
* Blaming others
And some don't really matter, including:
* Taking showers at night
* Eating yogurt with a fork
* Reading magazines from back to front
Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us. We become what we repeatedly do. As writer Samuel Smiles put it:
Sow a thought, and you reap an act;
Sow an act, and you reap a habit;
Sow a habit, and you reap an character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.
Luckily, you are stronger than your habits. Therefore, you can change them For example, try folding your arms. Now try folding them in the opposite way. How does this feel? Pretty strange, doesn't it? But if you folded them in the opposite way for thirty days in a row, it wouldn't feel so strange. You wouldn't even have to think about it. You'd get in the habit.
At any time you can look yourself in the mirror and say, "Hey, I don't like that about myself," and you can exchange a bad habit for a better one. It's not always easy, but it's always possible. (224 words)
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