Steven Pressfield republished his March 31, 2010 post this week. It’s titled “Habit” and it’s worth reading from end to end. He kicks it off with a memorable story on a pet goose and two generations of offspring and their particular compulsive habit. (I won’t give it up here.) Some memorable passages that followed the story include:
- “Habit can be a mighty ally in the day-to-day struggle against Resistance.”
- “We usually think of habits as bad. A drug habit, an alcohol habit. But habits can be tremendously positive too. The habit of going to the gym, of meditating, of daily visiting someone who could use a little kindly attention.”
- “What I’m trying to do, myself, day-by-day in my professional regimen, is to reinforce the habit of a regular work schedule. I don’t succeed all the time. Days definitely get away from me. But the goal never changes and I never let up. I want to build a groove, I want to establish a positive, momentum-generating pattern.”
- “Why? Because habit eliminates thought. Negative, Resistance-spawned thought. If I’m a ballet dancer and I make it my business to take class every morning, habit will compel me to get ready mentally the night before. When morning comes and it’s time for class, habit makes me grab my gym bag without thinking about it, throw in my sweats, my shoes, my Evian water.”
- “Habit keeps Resistance from raising its ugly head and starting to talk me into sluffing off. Before I know it, I’m out the door and on my way to class.”
- “Habit builds up energy over time. The repetition of any action–good or evil–generates power. Energy concentrates and accumulates. Bad habits become harder to break. But good habits do too.”
- “The goal is habit-inculcation to overcome Resistance.”
Source: Steven Pressfield: Habit. Image: Haniyateen