Your Habits Can Say a Lot About You.

I think you can agree with me that we can't change something if we don't realize we're doing it. Habits are patterns of behavior that often occur gradually and automatically. The continual repetition of any behavior, good or bad, can create a habit. The result of any subconscious habit is that it becomes a major determining factor in developing our self-image. Once a series of actions become familiar to us, they can begin to operate on their own as a subconscious behavior, often unnoticed by the conscious mind. What if I was to tell you that there are no "good" or "bad" habits? What if there are only effective ones? That is, effective at solving problems or showing us something about ourselves.

All habits serve us somehow, which is why we repeat them. The more automatic a behavior becomes, the less likely we will consciously think about it. And when we've done something a thousand times before, we begin to overlook things. So we assume that the next time will be just like the last. We are so used to doing what we've always done that we don't stop to question whether it's the right thing to do at all or if it's for our highest good. So many of our mistakes in performance are mainly attributable to a lack of self-awareness.

One of our most significant challenges in changing habits is maintaining awareness of the "doing." This challenge helps explain why the

consequences of bad habits can sneak upon us. If you're still having trouble determining how to rate a particular pattern, here is a question I like to use: "Does this behavior help me become the type of person I wish to be? Does this habit cast a vote for or against my desired identity?" Habits that reinforce our desired identity are usually good. Patterns that conflict with our desired identity typically tell us that change needs to happen. That's when the real work begins. Are you willing to look deeper within and find the source of that conflicting habit? Perhaps the next time you are aware of a contradictory pattern that does not serve you, I invite you to go deep, find the source and change this habit for your highest good.