Bad habits can be powerful obstacles. Anyone who’s tried to eat less, exercise more, go to bed earlier, get up earlier, stretch a comfort zone, or just try something new can relate to the gravitational pull them.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that bad habits seems to have an Achilles Heel – getting conscious, and purposeful, about the choices we make.
Portia Nelson gets at this in her book called, There’s a Hole in my Sidewalk. Under the section titled “Autobiography in Five Short Chapters,” she writes, in part:
- Chapter One – I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I fall in.
- Chapter Two – I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again.
- Chapter Three – I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in … it’s a habit … but, my eyes are open.
- Chapter Four – I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.
- Chapter Five – I walk down another street.
Which chapter most closely resembles where YOU are with each of YOUR bad habits?
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Original Source: http://www.ggci.com/blog/archive/2004_03_01_archive.htm