Forming (and firming) good habits creates safety nets for our thoughts and actions. Good habits can also be thought of as the pegs on a tie rack where thoughts and actions can hang out without fear of becoming side tracked and deviating from the desired course (or goal). Take for example the habit of daily scripture reading at a specific time, say in the early morning, and duration, approximately 15 minutes. You know that time is set apart from the rest of the day to be your spiritual "holding place" where you can look forward to inspiration from the Lord. When you shirk this habit you no longer have the opportunity to be blessed by the Lord during that time. In addition, you may substitute non-beneficial actions (i.e. sleeping in) which in turn produce negative consequences (you are late to work and could get fired). Wow! all that because you fail to follow a good habit you established. The neat thing is that they are OUR habits no one else sets them for us, therefore we are in complete control of them.
Another important aspect of good habits is "how" you think of them... At times they may feel restrictive but as you grow the habits (substitute rules, regulations or commandments) offer a growth inducing, fertile ground for future improvements to your character.
Consider also how our good habits are geared to fit individual differences (weaknesses). Like the recovering alcoholic who will NOT drive down the road that he once used to frequent to get beer. This would not be a habit that anyone else in the world would need to have. Or the young woman who consistently says, "No" when her friends ask her to go to a movie she knows does not fit her standards. Not everyone's friends will offer this challenge. We each have the specific decisions to make and habits to form that will help keep us on the path to a virtuous and meaningful life. How we get there is entirely different.
For me the benefits of consistent daily scripture study provide me with a myriad of wonderful inspirations throughout the day. I love that good habits open the door to growth. Look at your own life and consider trying new good habits. You will be amazed at what you learn and how you are able to strengthen the areas you once thought impossible to improve on.
I know your good habits are your own, but I thought I would give you a few of ours and maybe they will help. Love you all!
Some good personal habits:
- A designated time, duration and place for studying school work, house work, playtime (research shows 45 minute increments are good). It definitely helps me focus when I know what the "end" looks like.
Some good family habits:
- Singing 2 songs for the kids at night (they choose).
- Reading 2 books (Scriptures and Kid chosen book) to the kids each night.
- Designated time for family to be together (i.e. Hamley Fome Evening)
- Practice manners at the table (this is still a struggle). Still can't keep Eden from using her fingers, some day...
- Taking your own dishes to sink.
Habits that are good for all:
- Treating others with respect and kindness, always.
- Integrity/Honesty.
- Hope, you pick what in (world peace, joy in your life, close relationship with Heavenly Father). Hoping is different than wishing. When you hope you have to believe in what is hoped for to the point that affects your thoughts, words and deeds.
- Having faith in the Savior which leads to action that changes hearts (mostly your own) and moves the mountains in your life (overcoming addiction, becoming an expert scriptorian, leading others to faith).
Please comment with some "good habits" of your own, I'd love to hear them.
That's cool Micah. I especially liked the designated time duration for activities. I'm gonna try that one. Also the one you use with your children, thus far we haven't been doing the scripture reading; we just read fun books with the kids...so that's another one I'm gonna try. I could use all of them but I gotta start small ;)
ReplyDeleteI think a good habit that I have is that I'm frugal. Though it may be more of a predisposition than a habit...but it can be a habit, right? And though some may view it as a bad habit...I don't. So there.
Palmyra- thanks for the comment. Two things. One, I should clarify that the 45 minute timeframe is based on studying time. Two, I did not mean that EVERYTHING should be lumped into this amount of time. My hope is that we understand the benefits of providing OURSELVES a roadmap so we know what to look forward to. It is cool stuff as long as we don't misconstrue the message (which I don't think you would). Thanks hermana!
ReplyDeleteI love the pic of you reading with chubby little Eden. I like the tie rack analogy. Developing good habits helps us to be sure to include the most important things first. I think there is a quote - do the most important things and everything else falls into place. It is true though as we develop these habits, we grow in our personal power- especially spiritual power- in the form of faith, confidence, hope, humility, charity. Thanks for the reminder. I am keeping up with our RS Book of Mormon challenge, but I want to improve by setting aside a regular time for scriptures daily. Doing pretty well at regular exercise- preparing for an Earth Day 10k. I want to create some new, positive habits for dealing with stress/depression triggers- instead of eating late- reading, journaling, etc.
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