Habits are terrible masters and great servants. If a bad habit controls you, you’re going nowhere. But if you manage to control a habit, and turn it to your will, you’ll achieve more than you ever expected.
Habits are like the horses our conscious minds ride to get around faster.
If you’re riding a horse it can take you further and faster than you could by simply walking. But if the horse is riding the person, it’s not going to end well.
Unchecked habits are the horses that ride us. Habits of thought are the worst. They frame the world for us, telling stories that reinforce our ‘truth’. But habitual thoughts can prevent us from seeing the multifaceted story around us.
Habits of action are also powerful in both positive and negative ways.
Placing your running shoes by the front door increases – ever so slightly – your chances of going for a run. But also, getting a notification on Facebook increases your chances of being distracted.
Habits can be used against us – and they often are. But habits will also play a huge role in our triumphant comeback. More on that in part 2 of the book, Turn On.
Excerpted from Reboot Yourself. Get your free chapter, or buy the book on Amazon.