Good morning all!
Today I want to talk about habits; we all have them, some good some bad some irrelevant because they only make sense to us in our OCD ways.
I definitely have mine, I have OCD when it comes to locks; I will lock something up then check 3 or 4 times to make sure it is locked (because I somehow think that maybe I unlocked it when checking to see if it is locked).
Having habits is normal it is apart of who we are and how we operate. Habits are always easy to start up when they are conducive to our daily actions and can compliment or enhance our daily routine; however starting new habits can be difficult when they are counter-productive to what is apart of your usual routine. An example would be going shopping for groceries, being in a habit of making a list makes getting groceries easier. Another example is stopping smoking, my mother recently quit after smoking for over 60 years, it has been very difficult for her overcoming old habits to start a new one as she would wake up have coffee and a cigarette or inbetween ends in curling she would go for a quick smoke etc. Smoking became natural for her to do between moments of doing things and now when those moments arise it is the most difficult. The actual quitting she was fine with, she got on the patch and had a couple days where she craved it but for her it has been more of the habit of what to do at certain moments of her day that she felt weakest at.
They say a habit forms from 21 days of continuous action to be instilled into your psyche as a habit. 21 days or 3 weeks does not seem like much at all but it is so easy to just blow off one day because you feel off or you feel that "one moment of messing up won't hurt me", but the fact is once you drop that one day your brain can reset to what your habit originally is.
For me and many others trying to lose weight creating new habits feel nearly impossible. I can get to about day 6 or 7 then I feel absolutely drained mentally. I get lethargic and tired and just no energy to function so the next day when my alarm goes off to go to the gym I hit snooze a few times before I say screw it and turn it off and go back to sleep. The only thing I can try and do is keep pushing through until I hit that 21 days. I need to keep reminding myself why I am doing it, they payoff I will get from it and how much better I will feel. it is that damn sleep.. it just feels so good!
I know a lot of the problem is I am just getting up so early to go to the gym, 3:15 to be at gym by 4am, but I just don't have the energy after work to go. The damn 80 minute drive home doesn't help at all as I just get too comfortable with sitting and my energy and intent dissipates throughout the long drive home. I do enjoy being at the gym once I am there especially that early as there is only a few people there at that time, and sometimes no one is there but me which is my favorite time. It also doesn't help when I get home and when I go to bed around 8/830 and am called an old man for going to bed so early. I know they are just teasing but it makes me apprehensive about not being apart of whatever it is they are doing so I force myself to stay up later to join in with what is going on, even if it is just catching up on the PVR or playing a game. In my mind I am doing this stuff for me but when I am pitted with the choice of not pleasing someone I cave in.Which brings out another habit I have that is a blessing and a curse; my need to please everyone.
By far the toughest habit to break is my wanting to please everyone all the time, which is why I need to change it to wanting to please myself at the very least. I need to realize that sometimes I must put my own needs first. I need to fully understand and believe that I need to be a priority in my life too. I need to do this for 21 days in a row in order to build on something for myself. My whole life and career I have spent in service for others in doing what I can to please them. It is apart of the hospitality industry I spent 26 years in, it is apart of who I am even before I started cooking.
So this habit won't be easy to start and maintain for 21 days (including 1 rest day a week), but it is just apart of my journey to finding me.
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