Habits vs. Habits
I’ve been reflecting on my life lately and one phrase keeps flooding my mind, “Bad habits are hard to break.” Why does this timeless phrase keep flowing through my mind? Well, due to my self-reflection, I’ve realized that many of the “good habits” I have had, running and working out consistently, getting up at 5:00 am, reading and writing daily, sticking to my calories, visiting every classroom every day, just to name a few, have all seemed to drain from my life as of late. I’ve been trying to get back to many of them because honestly, I have not felt like myself without them recently. But it’s true, “bad habits” are hard to break.
With all of the “good habits” I listed above that are no longer as prevalent as they were in the past, they’ve been replaced with what I consider “bad habits.” Sleeping in, skipping training sessions, eating whatever I want, zombifying in front of the tv, and staying buried in my office throughout the day have all become staples in my life. I know they’re not serving me any good, not helping the equations of making me the best servant leader, husband, or father I know I can be, but, I just can’t seem to break them. But why? Why was it so easy to forgo the “good habits” that once helped to fill my life with joy, fueling me up to be the best for all I serve, inspiring them to be their best selves? Why were the “good habits” just done without any effort on my end, yet these “bad habits” won’t wither and die?
I know the reason, and I’m pretty sure you do as well. Hell, I’ve known the reason all along, I just tried to bury it between Netflix and the “Snooze” button. The reason “bad habits” are so hard to break is that they must be replaced with “good habits” The dilemma here is that we, I, can’t simply swap “bad” for “good”. If we truly want to eliminate the “bad habits” from our lives we must be intentional about eradicating them.
“Bad habits” are easy to keep in our lives because they don’t take any effort on our part. Honestly, (I’ll stick with just me so you’re not offended) I am just lazy when it comes to my “bad habits.” If I want to get rid of them, to be my best self, I need to put in the work. I need discipline to ensure I make my “good habits” routines, part of my daily life.
Notice I didn’t say motivation. Motivation will only get us so far. There are going to be days we don’t want to run, we don’t want to write, we don’t want to help that crying student or staff member because we, ourselves, are mentally exhausted. Lack of motivation will bring those “bad habits” to the forefront before we’ve even had time to ponder what is going on. Motivation is great to get us first going on replacing our “bad habits” with good, but we truly need discipline to make the “good habits” a staple in our lives.
If you truly want to break the “bad habits” that are holding you back from being your best, become disciplined in your approach to executing the “good habits.” This is going to suck at times, there will be days you just flat out don’t want to, but if you are disciplined and stick with it the reward will be what you’re yearning for. Set that alarm earlier, don’t hit snooze, and get up. Turn off the tv a half-hour earlier to read and write, or do those acts before hopping on Netflix. Track your calories, meal prep the night before, only eat what you’ve packed and brought with you. These disciplined acts may be uncomfortable and suck at first, but they will become routine and part of your daily life.
This blog was for me, a self-reflection of what I need to do to get back to being myself. I hope that if you are unhappy with some “bad habits” that have taken up shop in your life you will find motivation from my outlet and rebirth of one of my “good habits.”
Please check out my latest book, The EduCulture Cookbook: Recipes & Dishes to Positively Impact Classroom & School Culture with EduMatch Books.
https://www.punkrockclassrooms.com/books-media/educulturecookbook
