LIVING LIFE : Develop Good Habits

The word habit reminds one of bad addictions like drinking and smoking too much, but there are good habits and bad habits. The human mind is a very interesting creation. There are things that we do because we have consciously decided to do at that moment and things which we do or say for that matter because our mind subconsciously directs us to do.

Friday, November 06, 2009

The word habit reminds one of bad addictions like drinking and smoking too much, but there are good habits and bad habits. The human mind is a very interesting creation.

There are things that we do because we have consciously decided to do at that moment and things which we do or say for that matter because our mind subconsciously directs us to do.

So in a way, we would like to think that the things we do consciously are under our control while the things we do subconsciously are not under out control.

Have you ever wondered how easy life would be if you were able to control both our conscious and subconscious?
Have you met people who know that smoking is bad for their health but just can’t get hold of the habit?

Well, the good news is that it is even easier to control your subconscious that your conscious if you wok on it. King Solomon in Proverbs 26:11 said, "As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.”

If you repeat an action several times you train the subconscious to learn that action and in no time you will be doing that same thing without choosing to.

A good example is someone learning how to type on a computer. At first, he will look for each letter as he types with one finger, slowly but as he continues to gain experience, he types without thinking about where he places his fingers because the mind has subconsciously learnt to direct his fingers to the letters where he wants them to go. Same with the ladies.

Bad habits can be replaced by constructive habits. An article of habitguide.com affirms that habits rule the world. It says that you’ll need to be extremely clear about the what, why and how of your intended change.

That clarity and understanding will help you to gain commitment. It’s said that "Without commitment there is dithering.”

Aristotle, a Greek philosopher, who was a master on topics as vast as physics, metaphysics, poetry, theatre, music, logic, rhetoric, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology said that "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Has it ever occurred to you that people who excel in something are not those who are just too intelligent, that geniuses keep refining their act every second of the day?

Because they keep doing and repeating the same thing they learn all the tricks therein and even more so, the knowledge they collect enters into their subconscious and their mind helps them to do great things which to the ordinary eye look as simple as it comes.

Think about Ronaldo and Ronaldinho and how easy on the eye their football tricks look. They make difficult moves and passes as if they were just breathing. Those tricks have sunk deep into their conscious after trying and perfecting them everyday of their lives.

So there is your answer to developing good habits. Decide you want to do something, and do it again and again and along the way you will end up with not only a good habit but an excellent one at that.
Have an excellent Sunday?

kelviod@yahoo.com