YOUR HABITS DECIDE YOUR FUTURE By Pennie Hunt

Have you ever looked at your habits? We all have them. Many of them. Good habits. Bad habits. And some we never notice until we sit down and think about them. What if you made a list?

To begin with, we need to define what a habit is.

A habit is an automatic, learned behavior triggered by specific cues in your environment and established through repetition. Over time, these actions require little to no conscious thought to perform.

According to the American Psychological Association, forming a habit relies on a three-step neurological loop: a cue that triggers the behavior, the behavior (action) itself, and a reward that reinforces the urge to repeat it.

James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits, adds one more step. He writes that four distinct psychological laws can be found in a habit: Cue, Craving, Response, and Reward. I agree with adding the “craving” piece to this habit discussion.

So, back to your list of habits. I bet you can think of a few immediately. Some are simple, like the way you smile, laugh, or how you add simple words to your daily speech. Words like seriously, right, basically, or phrases like if I’m being honest, or do you know what I mean?

Other habits can be more complex and harmful to your health. Smoking, drinking too much, nail-biting, etc.

Then there are the habits that affect other people. Being constantly negative, critical, or sarcastic. These traits become habits that you don’t notice, but other people do.

Your list is probably filled with negative habits, because negative habits are tightly tied to the craving aspect of habits. These stand out in your mind.

But let’s not forget the positive habits you have. Are you polite and say please and thank you? Do you exercise and eat healthy? Do you sleep well, drink water, and floss? Are you kind and empathetic to others? Do you meditate? Add all of your good habits to your list.

Why am I putting you through this exercise? It is because of this quote that is largely attributed to F.M. Alexander:

 “People don’t decide their future; they decide their habits, and their habits decide their future.”

Let it sink in for a moment.

Every habit, simple or complex, good and bad, that you listed, you have chosen. No one gave you the habit or forced you to claim that habit as yours. You decided it would be your habit. Over time, that habit has decided your future.

If you ate healthily and had a consistent workout program for years, then you probably aged with strength and health. If you smoked and drank too much, you may have lung cancer or other health issues.

If you were kind and compassionate, you probably have a circle of supportive and loving people surrounding you. If you had a habit of being critical and cruel, you probably don’t.

The rewards from having good habits and the consequences of having bad habits become very clear.

Remember this: the life you lead is the lesson you leave. When your life comes to an end, it will be the actions you took in life that leave lessons for others to learn from. What you consistently did, your habits, will be what people remember.

Do you want your friends and family to remember the lessons they learned from watching your bad habits or the lessons they learned from watching your good habits?

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                                 Pennie’s Life Lesson:
                         You don’t decide your future;
    you choose your habits, and your habits decide your future.                           Learn to crave your good habits.
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YOUR TURN...        
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