Learn From Your Habits

You are the sum of your habits.

You have good habits that contribute to wealth, health, security and satisfaction. You have bad habits that rob you of the same.

Based on a book about how habits are formed, The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, I’ve been thinking about habits a great deal lately.

Duhigg says the brain is a habit forming system. If you think about it, rather than start from scratch every time we want to do or to think about something, our brain turns onto automatic pilot in certain situations. We react predictably in our environments rather than uniquely. Those are habits.

I’m going to share some things about habits over the next few days. So, I would like you to consider this:

If we are the sum of our habits, what would be the list of habits that describe who you are?

Make that list. In one column, list the positive habits. In one column list the negative ones. The intent of this effort is to raise your awareness of habits big and small. As you become aware of your habits, you are in a better spot to change them if you want.

Make a list. Listen to how it speaks to you.