Volume 01, Issue 23: The Power of Habits

What do we think of at the mention of the word habit? Bad behavior, isn’t it? Habits are associated with destructive behaviour. However, the principle of habit formation applies to both good and bad behavior.

The actions that we take over and over again become habits over time. Research has shown that it takes about thirty days to develop a new habit. By then the daily routine becomes a habit.

We are not at the mercy of habits. Habits are at our command. It is up to us how we use them; whether for gain or ruin. Depending on how we choose to use it, a habit is a great helper or a heavy burden.

Habit is the servant of great men and women; the servant of failures as well. It will push you onward or drag you to failure. Successful people employ healthy habits to propel them on the road of continuous improvement. Failures take bad habits for granted and find themselves incarcerated by them, leading to despair and disdain.

We make our habits, and then our habits make or break us. Habits are either the best servants or the worst enemies. Be easy with habit and you will live to regret it. Be firm with habit and it will get you ahead of the average person.
 
Growth is sustained by good habits. Though motivation gets you started on the journey of growth, it wears out with time. It is good habits that keep you going. Habits make good virtues almost instinctive. Develop good habits and reap the benefits thereof.

As once said by Aristotle, we are what we repeatedly do. The honours is then on us to identify best practices and do them repeatedly until they become habits.

Heighten your good habits and alter your limiting ones. Are you struggling to break a bad habit? Begin by appreciating that it takes a habit to break a habit. Destructive habits don’t just go away; they must be replaced with constructive ones.

Lillian Chebosi