People only do 3 things: (1) Good Habits, (2) Bad Habits, and (3) New Things.
This is the 2nd blog in a 10-blog series about Habits, doing New Things, and Change.
Change often meets resistance.
Here's an example of what I mean:
Why?
Why do people often fear and resist Change?
To answer that question we must first understand Habits.
Some facts about the word 'Habit':
- The English word dates back to the 13th century
- From the Latin word habitus…'condition, demeanor, appearance, dress'
- Has both an internal and an external connotation…'what we wear'
- Today, we still refer to certain religious apparel as 'habit'
So, for centuries, the word Habit has described what other folks see when they look at us and our internal [psychological/physiological] workings.
Our Habits show what we are because they are very closely bonded to what we are.
While that may come across as too much detail or too much theory, the fact is if we do not understand the roots of Habits then we will have difficulty effecting Changes For The Better.
Successful people from all walks of life have recognized the extreme importance of Habits.
Here's a few samples of their thinking:
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle
Nothing so needs reforming as other people's habits. Mark Twain
The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do. Thomas Edison
One word of caution…the subconscious is just as apt to pick up a bad habit as a good one. Thomas D. Willhite
A change in bad habits leads to a change in life. Jenny Craig
In the next blog I will begin to look at ways to create Good Habits and Change For The Better.