I have been reading up a lot on habits lately. I realize that our habits have such an impact on our lives. We don’t think about our habits much – there are just things we do automatically, without thinking about it consciously. We automatically brush our teeth every morning, or drive to work, or eat with our fork and spoon (or chopsticks or hands, whichever). What we don’t realize is that these habits are our building blocks developing our personality and character. Healthy habits make us healthy, conversely, unhealthy habits make us unhealthy. Habits can lead us to our success, or to our ruin. Hence, it is so important to have habits that help us achieve what we want in our lives.
A quote by Aristotle summarizes it well:
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
We live for many years trying to achieve our goals with our willpower and self-discipline. However, our willpower and self-discipline do not last long. And not many people can sustained their willpower and self-discipline over long-term to achieve their big life goals. I realize that the secret lies in developing the habits needed to achieve our goals, and replacing the bad habits that prevent us from achieving our goals. When we have these habits, then we don’t have to struggle so much with willpower and self-discipline. With habits, we can start small and start with something achievable, until it becomes easier and automatic. Then we can incrementally increase it to make it harder. For example, changing our eating habits can start with cutting sugar, or eating more fruits or vegetables. Recently, I bought a nice portable blender to blend fruits and vegetables (kale and pineapple at the moment). Once I started this habit, I find that it is quite easy to do it automatically before my meal at home. So, find a habit you would like to develop, then figure out a way to make it convenient for you to start! Good luck!