Habits are Powerful

Habits are Powerful; they truly are. Twelve years ago, a typical Barbadian morning for me began at the brisk hour of 4:30am. As a member of the Pine Hill Alpha Sharks Swim Team and an occasional member of the Barbadian National Swim Team, I was in the habit of training my body into peak performance, while most others were asleep. My routine began with a sleepy 25 minute drive to the Aquatic Center in Barbados, where I trained for 2 hours, with the other committed swimmers from my club and several other clubs. Once I had my driver’s licence at 16 years old, I eagerly drove my 1989, bright yellow, Lada Samara most mornings but when he could, my father would be right alongside me, faithfully and dutifully taking me to practice, while I caught some necessary extra sleep in the passenger seat.

On those mornings, when I managed to stay awake on the drive to the pool, conversation built between me and dad. He wisely took these opportunities to reinforce in me the values that made him into the success that he is today.

High on his list was the development of good habits.

We’ve all experienced success in our individual lives. Take a moment and scroll back through your memories. Where was your personal success? Graduating school?...An excellent job commendation?...Winning the heart of the love of your life?...The creation of a profitable business? Whatever that success be, know this; it came true because of your actions; your actions stemming from good habits.

The powers that be at Oxford University Press define a habit as, “a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously”.

The good habits my father would repeat to me were those of budgeting my money, tracking my athletic progress, involving myself in my extended family’s lives and continually aiming for my maximum. These, among many more lessons he imparted, became part of my subconscious, and my development into the man I am today began to shape over time. I was influenced by my father, and others, to incorporate these good habits and to repeatedly take action on them, so that they became routine.

My good habits were developing.

On the flipside, bad habits have also wormed their way into the life I live today. And just like the resting place of good habits, bad habits quickly became a part of my subconscious.

After moving to Toronto at 18 years old, I was for the first time miles away from the watchful and protective eyes of my family and society. The true tests of my personal discipline and fortitude began and in my areas I started to falter. Where I previously was in the habit of chasing success in my teens, my early twenties saw me becoming very content with the habit of accepting mediocrity for myself. Systematically, the development of new bad habits led to the demise of my education and financial security and the creation of a massive social life which I had to conceal from those watchful eyes that had spent years moulding me previously.

Why had this shift occurred? Shouldn’t those good habits that were now housed in my subconscious have continued to manifest themselves daily? Why was I now exhibiting traits that weren’t in line with my upbringing?
Well, after years of self-analysis, only one word answers every question I’ve posed to myself, and to others who have experienced a similar shift in habits.

Discipline.

Good habits are easily forgotten if we lack the discipline to continually act on them daily. If you are now living a life of difficulty; one where debt, substance abuse, failure, regret, depression, mediocrity are now living side by side with you, then I urge you to take a step back and examine your habits. We are the architects of our lives. Analyze yourself. Ask others, who possess good habits, to give you an honest overview of who you are. Take in their observations and heed their advice. Then begin the process of exercising the necessary discipline in order to convert your non-supportive bad habits into more empowering good habits.

Yes, habits are powerful. They are engrained in our subconscious and daily they act upon us, continually shaping us into who we are today. Take ownership of your habits and create the life you deserve.
I’ve learned to do so and now, those good habits my father instilled in my subconscious are fervently resurfacing. Read my words; the change is liberating and rapid. My drive for success has returned. My passion to positively influence others is re-emerging daily and I now consciously make decisions based on the personal discipline I am growing within myself. You too can decide to make similar progressive choices.

Yes, it is true, habits are powerful. Remove yourself from your life for a few moments and analyze where you are at. Consciously make disciplined choices and become who you dream of being. Most importantly, take action now! I wish you the best on your journey of positive change.

© Danny Murrell