Habits are good things to have. (So are hobbits, as friends, but that’s another post for another time.) Ahem. As I was saying. Habits are good things to have, unless, of course, they are the wrong sort of habits. Bad habits are not good things to have. And sometimes good habits backfire on you, too.
I have developed a habit of clipping my keys to my purse, or bag, or belt, as soon as I turn off the car, even if I plan on sitting in it for a few minutes. This is a good habit. I know this, because there have been two or three occasions when I have not practiced this habit and have locked my keys in the car. So now, I make it my practice to always do something with the keys, like clip them to my bag, when I turn off the car, so I don’t leave them in the ignition. Good habit. But, as I said, good habits can backfire on you. Like when I clip the keys to the wrong bag. Like I did a few months ago. An hour and a half from home. In the rain. Fortunately, there was a spare key hidden on the car, I just had to find it. Also fortunately, the bag I had in my hand was the bag with a pair of jeans, my cell phone, wallet, and a pocket knife in it. It just wasn’t the bag with the keys on it. It only took about 15 minutes crawling around the car (in the rain) to find the key. Things could have been much worse. Things could have been worse this morning, too. This morning, there was no spare key. And the bag with my cell phone, wallet, pants, breakfast (and lunch) AND keys was the one IN the car. Things could have been much worse, though. Because I was only a half hour away from home, and my mother had her car, too. And her cell phone. Also, I had a few minutes to spare before I had to be to work - long enough to take my mother’s car, and to call home for the spare key. So I got to work on time, albeit with no badge, a skirt instead of my uniform pants, no breakfast, and no lunch. Until my mother could bring them to me. Good habits can backfire. I think I have a bad habit, too. A bad habit of locking my keys in the car.
So, my friends, it is important to develop good habits, and to make sure those habits are REALLY good habits. My mother pointed out that if I had a habit of having the keys in my hand when I leave the car, I would be much less likely to lock my keys in the car. She has a very good point. Unfortunately, she said that since she gave birth to all of us children, my dad had to teach us to drive, and my dad did not instill that good habit in me. I wonder if good habits are as hard to break as bad? They say it takes roughly two months for a behavior to become automatic. I’m guessing it doesn’t take that long to get out of a good habit. And it is probably longer to break out of bad habit. Many habits are formed without our even realizing it (mostly the bad sort, I’m thinking.) We get into the habit of watching a show, or listening to a radio station, or driving a certain way to work, without ever realizing that it is a habit. Do we even like the show or the station anymore? Is there a better way to get to work? I just started a new job. I’m learning my way around things, and how and where things go. I work in one of those really cool places where as long as the results are right in the end, there isn’t a lot of rigidity to how you obtain those results. So, now that I have the basics down, I’m trying to figure out the most efficient way to do things, so I can build good habits before I acquire bad ones. Now I just have to figure out how to do this at home. I need to think before I act, so I can figure out the best action, so I can take that action and turn it into a habit.
Habits are those things we do without thinking. Hopefully, we've already thought out the action, so having it automatic is a good thing. Someday I hope I have so many good habits that I can write a novel in my head while cleaning the whole house. A girl can dream. But first, I need to make a habit of creating good habits. I also, I think, need to occasionally look at my good habits and make sure they are the best habits and won't backfire on me. There is one kind of habit I think everyone needs -- a habit of prayer. Sure, it takes a bit of time and effort, but once it's created, it's automatic. You need something, you pray. You hear bad news, you pray. You hear good news, you pray. You stub your toe, you pray. A habit of prayer is a great tool to have. BUT, like other good habits, it can backfire, I think, if you don't keep an eye on it. Because after awhile, if we aren't careful, our automatic prayers might start taking the place of our ...un-automatic prayers. If your good habit of praying the rosary has turned into a not-so-good habit of praying a rosary in 10 minutes (guilty!) it may be time to reevaluate. Add some new meditations to the rosary, perhaps? First assignment - create a habit of prayer. Second assignment, make sure your prayer isn't just a habit. Then apply above principles to keeping your bedroom clean.
One example I do have for a good home-habit -- I mate my socks after I wear them. No, this is not a dufflepud thing. It’s a habit that ensures that my socks are right side out for washing, and it keeps me from having a million mismatched socks because one ended up under the bed or in the wrong basket instead of in the load where they belong. There is your laundry tip for the day. Do you have any good hobbits? What about bad hobbits? Oh. Sorry. Wrong post. Do you have any good HABITS that make your life easier? I don’t need to know about the bad ones. Unless you are looking for outside suggestions on how to change them into good habits. It’s always fun and easy solving other peoples problems. Far less painful than solving your own.P.S. For those of you who came looking for the VeggieTales movie, The Wonderful World of Auto-tainment, it's right here:
"It's funny, because it's unexpected!" - Larry the Cucumber
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