I wish I had known The Power of Habit—not just the title of a book by Charles Duhigg but also a reality. Once formed, habits cannot be dropped. They stay in our basal ganglia—the center of our brain.
Habit retention is good news. Good habits are not easily lost: prayer, Bible study, brushing our teeth, exercising, the best way to drive a route.
Habit retention is bad news. Bad habits cannot be easily dropped: procrastination, gossip, tardiness, overeating.
How do we change habits if they are always in our brain? We replace them.
If I had understood the power of habit, I would have found and implemented good habits to replace the bad ones. I also would not have been as frustrated by habits that seemed impossible to break. I would have understood that bad habits were prepared to reappear.
Even more, I would have been more diligent about my children’s habit formation. “We can let this slide once because we are late,” I thought too many times. No, it is the start of a habit that will always be retained in my sons’ basal ganglia.
For more information see https://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit/
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