Habit Forming

“Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habit. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.” - Lao Tse

I haven't blogged for a while.  I could make lots of excuses as to why, but really, there's no real reason.  Other than I fell out of the habit.

We all have habits.  Some are great, some we could do without.  I'm trying to get into the habit of flossing my teeth every day.  It only takes a minute, right?  And I'm pretty good about it, but I don't do it every single day.

For a long time, I wanted to be in the habit of practicing yoga every day.  It seemed so hard!  A couple days on, a couple off.  And then suddenly (or so it seemed) I was practicing every day.  I don't even know how it happened - I guess the habit just stuck.

Now I have other habits I could do without.  Like drinking coffee.  Well, not so much coffee as coffee drinks - creamy, sugary drinks with a little coffee.  I'd rather be in the habit of drinking green juice instead. (I had that habit every day for a couple years & then sadly I fell out of that habit).

We all have habits we're aware of & habits that we're unaware of.  Some are harmless.  Others are can hurt us & those around us.  My yoga practice has made me very aware of my habits.  The habit of practicing every day has helped me become aware that if there's a habit I'd like to be rid of, I need to create a new habit to replace it.  And like anything, like getting on my mat every day, it just takes time & practice.