Are you the Master or the Slave? You are one or you are the other. There is no choice. You must be one of them. But, the one you are is your choice.
There are many parts of life where you are either the Master or the Slave. Your relationships, your job, your kids, your relatives. The most important is with yourself. With your habits.
Habits are unique in that they are with yourself. Relationships are with other people. If you end up a Slave in a relationship you can walk away. You break the habit by breaking the relationship. You Breakaway.
But, you can never Breakaway from yourself. To thrive and reach your potential, you must break the bonds of being a Slave and make yourself the Master. To be the Slave or Master with yourself is to be the Slave or Master of your habits.
But, you can never Breakaway from yourself. To thrive and reach your potential, you must break the bonds of being a Slave and make yourself the Master. To be the Slave or Master with yourself is to be the Slave or Master of your habits.
If you are a Master of your personal habits you can dramatically improve your life. You also improve your relationships and your job. You will be more happy and fulfilled.
If you are a Slave to your habits your life most certainly will not be what you want. Your relationships and your job will most certainly suffer at the worst and fall short of their potential at the best. Neither scenario is desirable.
The interesting thing about the Master or Slave relationship to habit is revealed in the wording to describe the relationship itself. If you are a Master, then it is described as being in charge of the habit. You are the Master of the habit.
If you are a Slave, then it is described as the habit being in charge of you. You are a Slave to the habit. Or, put another way, the habit is the Master of you.
There are good habits and bad habits. You can be the Master or Slave to either. This can be a bit of mindbender. You may ask how could you be a Slave to a good habit?
Exercise is a good habit. But, if you are in the gym 20 hours a week and you are hurting yourself by not allowing ample time to recover. You are a Slave to the habit because the results are negative even though the habit is good.
Working hard is good habit. But, being a workaholic is not.
When you become a Slave to a good habit other areas of your life, your relationships, will usually suffer because they are not getting enough of your attention.
When you are a Slave to a bad habit, the other areas of your life will definitely suffer. Guaranteed.
Here is another mindbender. Can you be the Master of a bad habit? Your first thought may be why would you want to be? Consider any of your bad habits. We all have some.
If you do Master a bad habit it would imply that you have control of it or perhaps you have even eliminated it. And, when you do that you have usually replaced it with a good habit.
Overeating is replaced with a healthy diet. Not exercising is replaced with regular workouts. Mindless TV and internet trolling are replaced with meaningful reading and study. The list is endless.
Here is where it can really get interesting. There are some things that would be considered bad habits if you did them all the time. But, what if you did them occasionally?
Ice cream can be a great treat. Excellent wines can enhance a beautiful dinner with your significant other. Splurging on that new outfit you didn't really need can be a great feeling. None of these things are really bad. Once in awhile. But, string several days or weeks of this behavior together and you have a problem.
Mastering the bad habits, the ones that make life worth living, is almost as important as mastering good habits. It may even be more important. Your habits determine who you become.
Ninety percent of your daily activities are determined by your habits, both good and bad. Taking deliberate control of these habits is critical to determining what your future self will be.
The danger and benefit of habits is how unconsciously we follow them. They don't require willpower. Whether it is a good habit or a bad habit, we go about them without effort. However, they don't always get started that way.
Starting a good habit requires discipline and willpower. Breaking a bad habit requires resistance to temptation. Either scenario requires your conscious attention. At least at first.
When you follow through on the making or breaking of a habit, it gets easier. It may be tough at first, but it does get easier when you stick with it. This is where the discipline and willpower come in.
So, how do you stick with it?
First, remember why you started. This reason was what got you started and can keep you going. If you falter, your why is not strong enough.
Second, set short term goals to achieve that create momentum. It is easier to keep going when you have a sense that you have made some progress.
Third, let people in your life know you are trying to make a change. Public accountability is a very motivating.
Break the bonds of Slavery. Be the Master. Be your own Master. Your future self will thank you.
Working hard is good habit. But, being a workaholic is not.
When you become a Slave to a good habit other areas of your life, your relationships, will usually suffer because they are not getting enough of your attention.
When you are a Slave to a bad habit, the other areas of your life will definitely suffer. Guaranteed.
Here is another mindbender. Can you be the Master of a bad habit? Your first thought may be why would you want to be? Consider any of your bad habits. We all have some.
If you do Master a bad habit it would imply that you have control of it or perhaps you have even eliminated it. And, when you do that you have usually replaced it with a good habit.
Overeating is replaced with a healthy diet. Not exercising is replaced with regular workouts. Mindless TV and internet trolling are replaced with meaningful reading and study. The list is endless.
Here is where it can really get interesting. There are some things that would be considered bad habits if you did them all the time. But, what if you did them occasionally?
Ice cream can be a great treat. Excellent wines can enhance a beautiful dinner with your significant other. Splurging on that new outfit you didn't really need can be a great feeling. None of these things are really bad. Once in awhile. But, string several days or weeks of this behavior together and you have a problem.
Mastering the bad habits, the ones that make life worth living, is almost as important as mastering good habits. It may even be more important. Your habits determine who you become.
Ninety percent of your daily activities are determined by your habits, both good and bad. Taking deliberate control of these habits is critical to determining what your future self will be.
The danger and benefit of habits is how unconsciously we follow them. They don't require willpower. Whether it is a good habit or a bad habit, we go about them without effort. However, they don't always get started that way.
Starting a good habit requires discipline and willpower. Breaking a bad habit requires resistance to temptation. Either scenario requires your conscious attention. At least at first.
When you follow through on the making or breaking of a habit, it gets easier. It may be tough at first, but it does get easier when you stick with it. This is where the discipline and willpower come in.
So, how do you stick with it?
First, remember why you started. This reason was what got you started and can keep you going. If you falter, your why is not strong enough.
Second, set short term goals to achieve that create momentum. It is easier to keep going when you have a sense that you have made some progress.
Third, let people in your life know you are trying to make a change. Public accountability is a very motivating.
Break the bonds of Slavery. Be the Master. Be your own Master. Your future self will thank you.
No comments:
Post a Comment