“Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” –Warren Buffett
In the next few weeks, we will be talking about habit – how to recognize it while the “chains of habit are light,” how to create new habits, let go of old habits, the nature of habit, what it will do for you and how to use it to your advantage.
For today, how do you recognize your habits? Here are two ideas.
1. Observe your behavior.
What are your heavy chains of habit? Where are your light chains of habit? As we have said, most everything you do is part of a habit. Because habits are largely unconscious behaviors, it will take a measure of awareness to identify them. The first step always in creating change is awareness.
2. Observe your results.
Another way to identify your habits is to think about the results in your life – those you like and those you don’t. For example, a result is the nature of a relationship, or your level of productivity, or the condition of your health. Once you identify the result, then ask this question – “what habits do I have that support (give rise to) this result?” This is one way to become aware of your habits.
For example, I had a result arise about a month ago. My back started to hurt. So I investigated my habits – how I stand, how I sit, how I sleep. Because I don’t know for certain which habits are giving rise to the pain, I started to change the habits. And this made me very aware of what I was doing.
The first step is awareness. Study your habits. More next week.
