The Awesome Force of Habit
I have found that habits operate based on The Law of Consistency. This law simply states that the more we do something, the more we have a tendency to do it again. Then, eventually, we repeat it over and over and over again until we pretty much equate ourselves with that which we have habitually repeated.
As Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do"
Also, Elbert Hubbard once said that "Habit is a form of exercise." This means that the more we repeat something, the stronger that something gets.
What happens is we end up doing things over and over again that is not assisting us in creating the greatness we seek in life. It actually becomes easier to do the disempowering activities in life than to do the empowering ones. Not because the empowering ones are harder, but simply because the disempowering ones are the ones that we've been repeating over and over again for years...
It's just like Sir Isaac Newton stated in one of his Laws of Motion, "A Body in Motion will continue to be in Motion until interrupted by an outside force." Also something that comes from Eng's Principle states that, "The easier it is to do, the harder it is to change."
Whew... Powerful stuff...
One of the the original teachers of self-help material was a guy named Orison Swett Marden. He was teaching self-help in the 1800's... One of the things he said regarding habits is this, "The beginning of a habit is like an invisible thread, but every time we repeat the act we strengthen the strand, add to it another filament, until it becomes a great cable and binds us irrevocably thought and act."... Orison also said, "Man becomes a slave to his constantly repeated acts... What he at first chooses, at last compels."
To go along with this, Tyron Edwards said, "Any act often repeated soon forms a habit; and habit allowed, steadily gains in strength. At first it may be but a s a spider's web, easily broken through, but if not resisted it soon binds us with chains of steel."... Tyron also said, "Thoughts lead on to purposes; purposes go forth in action; action form habits; habits decide character; and character fixes our destiny."
As you know, I read a lot of books... One of them that I have in my library is called "How To Be Rich" by one of the Richest people who ever walked the face of planet Earth named, J. Paul Getty. (By the way, as a side note, J. Paul Getty is also the person who said that he would rather earn 1% on 100 people's efforts rather than 100% of his own efforts... Whew... He certainly knew about leverage didn't he.)... Well... Here's something else he said as it relates to this topic of habits... "The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might of the force of habit -- and must understand that practices are what create habits. He must be quick to break those habits that can break him -- and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help him achieve the success he desires."
Understand this and understand what Nathaniel Emmons said, "Habit is either the best of servants or the worst of masters."
Now, we can begin to get an idea of what habits are and how they are formed... The way to establish habits from what we've learned thus far is to repeat the thing that you desire to be a habit over and over and over again... "But, Jerry, That's Hard." Ok, cool... then do it hard... Make a choice. You're either going to choose to develop the habit that can change the quality of your life or you won't... Yes, you can choose to establish affirmations and reprogram your mind to assist you as we discuss in my program called "Creating Magic" which you can find at www.clubrhino.net... But the bottom line is to follow the Nike Slogan and "Just Do it"...
Remember, establishing a habit is not one big time Event... It's a Process of small repeated practices over and over and over again...
Oh, if you're still concerned with being able to establish new habits for yourself then you may want to consider the reality that you're not really serious about making the change. Because the bottom line is if you want something bad enough, you will go through the process to make it happen... If I were to guarantee you $100 Million Dollars if you would work on and go through the process of replacing one of the disempowering habits you may currently have with a more empowering one, I'm sure you won't be moaning, groaning, whining, and complaining about it... You'll be like, "Hey, It's Already Done."
With that said, here's something that Juliene Berk said that I want you to consider... "Habits... the only reason they persist is that they are offering some satisfaction.... You allow them to persist by not seeking any other, better form of satisfying the same needs. Every habit, good or bad, is acquired and learned in the same way -- by finding that it is a means of satisfaction."
Whoa... Good Stuff...
You have the Power within you -- right now -- to choose to start the process of developing Empowering Habits... The type of Habits that will allow you to live the life you've always dreamed of...
So let's Go, Go, Go and make it happen...
Jerry "DRhino" Clark