Life is about choices. No matter what situation we find ourselves or how wonderful or miserable circumstances seem to be, we always have a choice. The choices we make each day contribute to our habits, and it’s these actions that translate as to who we are in our world.
From the perspective of the Spirit, actions do not define us, nor can we ever be bound by action. However, when playing the role of the human personality, we have no choice but to abide by the laws of action. This post will focus on a specific type of action—our habits, and how we can create or eliminate them.
Habits can be compared to relationships as they are deep rooted associations that we willingly engage in and often find a hard time disengaging. If you could paint a portrait of yourself that consisted only of your daily habits, what would it look like?
At any moment if someone were to ask who you are, you would most likely have a list of “identities” that you throw out at them. This would most likely include, “I am so and so, the son/daughter of Mr. and Mrs. So and So, I earned my degree in so and so, work at so and so, and like to do so and so.” The number of “so and so’s” can be limitless, and the funny thing is we use these descriptors to tell the world who we are. But what are words really? They are simply linguistic symbols used to communicate.
The types of actions we perform are always the best indicator of who we are and what we stand for. Afterall, “Actions do speak louder than words.” This is an important point because, we always have a choice. We can choose who we want to be, and if there is something about our self-portrait of actions that isn’t the most flattering, we hold the paint brush to change it.
It’s time to grab that brush!
Now with that having been said, it takes 21 days to make or break a habit! Just imagine, you can create a new you in less than a month! There is always something that we are striving for or wish we could include in our daily lives. This could be exercising, eating healthier, reading an inspiring book, meditating, performing a random act of kindness, spending less time on the internet, or waking up early…the list is limitless. But the point is that no matter what it is we want to inculcate into our daily life, it can happen as long as we make firm resolutions.
An interesting phenomenon occurs when we decide to commit to an action. Our mind creates an impression of what that activity is and over a long period of time, let’s say 21 days, the mind begins to get accustomed to it. By the end of 21 days, the mind is rendered dependant on that particular action. For instance, let’s say you wanted to meditate every night before you went to sleep and you practiced this consistently. A month goes by and you have not missed your practice, then one day you skip this new-born habit. What happens is that your mind actually becomes restless and will not allow you to sleep until you have done your meditation. Your body and mind have gotten so used to this relaxation that it cannot part with it for even a day. The same concept applies with exercise too; the feel-good endorphins and increased energy levels will inspire you to be steadfast in your goal.
There is no practice or habit that we cannot master when we apply this rule of repetition.
So Let’s Start Now!
The project is:
- Mentally create your own self-portrait of actions.
- Identify and evaluate the most flattering and unflattering habits you see in your picture.
- What you don’t want—just get rid of it. What you do want—imbibe it. And what’s working for you stays the same. Remember it’s also not just about making new positive habits, but these 21 days can also be for breaking the negative ones too.
Another thing to remember that it’s not only about making concrete habits like exercising or learning a new skill. Rather, the abstract habits we practice are even more important. For instance, creating the habit of increased patience, endurance, keeping a balanced disposition during a stressful workday, or the practice of not becoming as angry, are all examples of positive abstract habits.
Ultimately, the purpose of creating positive habits is to bring about a harmonization of our personality and perform only those actions that will allow us to evolve into Divine Beings. Our actions act as the golden key to the gates of freedom, and can either take towards purity or away from it. When we begin to uplift ourselves through action, joy and spiritual well-being automatically flow into our life. This phenomenon prompts us to ask the larger question of, “From where does this happiness emanate, and what is that power by which I have the ability to act?” When we inquire further we come to find that it is Divine Self that is the substratum of each of these. The greatest power lies in knowing that all this emanates from our Highest Self. Connecting with that Divine source from which we came, and channeling that energy into actions, brings about the transcendence of actions, to who we really are as the Action-less Self.
COMMENT