The Habits of Our Lives

 

Lately, I’ve been thinking about habits. We all have them. We make them, break them, leave them, and take them. It’s rumored habits began as rituals in medieval Benedictine monasteries. Eventually, habits went from ritual to routine.

 

Old habits are often hard to shake, while new ones are difficult to make. It just depends on how you see them. Some see habits as an obsession for order. Some see them as a way to make their lives more certain.

 

What do you think? Is habitual living intentional living? Are habits spiritual disciplines? Do they keep us balanced? Does their consistency help keep chaos at bay?

 

Or does habitual living lead to a monotonous life? Do habits destroy our flexibility and spontaneity? Do their boundaries limit our growth?

 

Usually, habits sprout from life’s activities and circumstances. They are often tied to a passion for something we love to do. Sometimes they come from things we feel obliged to do. But like anything in our lives, perhaps some of our habits need updating or even throwing out.

 

I encourage you to take some time to look carefully at your habits without judging whether they are good or bad, right or wrong. Instead, contemplate how you feel when you apply them in your life. Do they feel miraculous or mundane? Do you look forward to performing them or approach them begrudgingly?

 

You’re the only one who knows the answers to these questions, and you don’t have to share them with anyone. But use them to consider if your habits serve you and others or if you are serving your habits?

 

If you find you’re not satisfied with your habits, it could be time for a change. I discovered I need habits that are more gratifying. I want less routine and more ritual. I believe the thoughtful repetition of a behavior, infused with love, will result in more intentional and delightful habits in my life.

 

And, so, I will revisit and revise some of my habits, while there’s still time. After all, as Warren Buffett warned: Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they’re too heavy to be broken.