Every day, the average person makes thousands of choices. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning until we close them in sleep at night, our lives consist of little more than a series of choices.
Shall I get up now or snooze another five minutes? Which outfit shall I wear? Shall I wake the kids or my spouse first? Shall I turn on the radio? Which station? Eat breakfast or skip it? Coffee with sugar or sweetener? Winter coat or jacket? And you haven't even left the house yet.
When the same choice is made often enough, it becomes a habit. The trick is to form good habits, those which will benefit us, those around us, and make the world a better place. Forming negative habits is sometimes easier at first, but they are usually detrimental in the long run.
Before habitual choices become entrenched, hard-to-change habits, it's necessary to realize that habits, bad or good, have consequences.
If an individual always gets up at the last minute, he'll be rushed, he'll have the house in an uproar, growl at the family, and raise his blood pressure. If he habitually skips breakfast, he'll function with less energy and efficiency at work in the mornings. If he always laces coffee with sugar, he'll risk gaining weight. If he has a smoking habit ...well, I don't need to finish this one, do I?
Every choice is important. Good choices result in forming worthy habits, which makes for better people. Compare the above scenario with the following:
She forms the habit of arising half an hour before she needs to. She dresses with care, makes coffee and shares a leisurely cup with her spouse before awakening the family. As the radio informs her of prevailing weather conditions, they enjoy breakfast together. Soon she's ready to head off to work, attired to suit the weather, fortified and ready to give her dynamic best to the job that awaits her.
They say it takes three weeks, 21 days, to break a bad habit. Why not choose one habitual behaviour that you'd like to change. Try to make a different choice in that particular area of your life tomorrow, and the next day and the next... Promise yourself you'll try the alternate behaviour for 21 days. You can certainly do almost anything for that length of time, can't you?
That strategy, making the same choice each day for three weeks, should result in a bad habit becoming a good one, and in you becoming a better person.
Of course, we're only human. We'll never be perfect, but eliminating one bad habit at a time can result in a huge improvement in our own well-being. It will also affect, in a favorable manner, those we live and work with.
It's only a suggestion. You can give it a try, or not. What do you have to lose? After all, It's just a matter of choice.
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