HABITS

Agnes Oyedokun

“Bad habits are like chains that are too light to feel until they are too heavy to carry.” —Warren Buffet

Habits are the small decisions you make and actions you perform every day. An example is going to classes every day, you don’t need to ask for directions you just know the way. It’s also not forgetting to drink a cup of coffee before going to work if you are a coffee person. There are good habits and there are bad habits. Let’s focus on the bad habits.

Bad habits are hard to break. They interrupt your life and prevent you from accomplishing your goals. They jeopardize your health — both mentally and physically and they waste your time and energy.

You might think that why then do we do them? The reason is that habits are extremely powerful in our lives because when something becomes a habit, it is no longer spontaneous. According to researchers at Duke University, habits account for about 40 percent of our behaviors on any given day. Everything that happens in your day-to-day is a result of your habits. If you are usually unhappy, what is your usual thinking? What do you mostly think about? You might be thinking “What does that have to do with my unhappiness?” Well, it has a whole lot to do with it. And It is not just the negative thoughts. It could be that laziness. That procrastination! How about that nagging? Oh, I almost forgot about the squeezed face every morning. Your habits shape your life in a kind of way.

According to Robert Gilbert: “First we form habits; then they form us. Conquer your bad habits or they will conquer you.”