It was Aristotle who said, “95% of everything that you do is the result of your habits.”
Good habits are hard to form and easy to live with. On the other hand, bad habits are easy to form and awful to live with.
Let’s bring this to life with a little story about a who man asked a wise old scholar to wean his son away from his bad habits.
The scholar took the youth for a stroll through a garden. Stopping suddenly he asked the boy to pull out a tiny plant growing there.
The boy held the plant between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out easily. The old man then asked him to pull out a slightly bigger plant. The boy pulled hard and the plant came out, roots and all. “Now pull out that one,” said the old man pointing to a bush. The boy had to use all his strength to pull it out.
Now take this one out,” said the old man, indicating a small tree. The boy grasped the trunk and tried to pull it out. But it would not budge. “It’s impossible,” said the boy, panting with the effort.
“So it is with bad habits,” said the wise old scholar. “When they are young it is easy to pull them out but when they take hold they cannot be uprooted.”
The session with the old man changed the boy’s life.
The story reminds me that we should all be aware of and understand the habits that we have, which ones we are creating and which ones we need to get rid off.
We should also make sure that we are not making new bad habits. What’s the best way to get rid of bad habits? Replace them with useful ones (you still need to do something to fill the time you used doing the bad habit!)
Remember,
Watch your thoughts. They become words.
Watch your words. They become deeds.
Watch your deeds. They become habits.
Watch your habits. They become your character.
Watch your character for it becomes your destiny.
To your success…
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I’m passionate about inspiring people to tap into their unique talents and strengths – to be the best they can be – to fulfill the potential they always knew they had. It’s not about ‘fixing’ you. Rather, it’s about helping you access the best part of yourself so you’re able to make the changes, release the dragons and powerfully step into your brilliance.
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Mark Russell Inspired Performance Coaching – Dedicated to Your Success.
