Habits

Dictionary.com says a habit is an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary: the habit of looking both ways before crossing the street.

Habits are intense! I've noticed that I have habits, some good and some bad, some that are neutral. But all of them are hard to change. Every Friday I play Ms. Pac Man at the local Laundromat with my roommate. I've been playing this game since I was a child, that it is natural for me to regularly do the same actions over and over again. But the game is completely random, the ghost move right only sometimes, other times they go up, left or down. But even when I see them coming straight towards me my habit keeps me from moving away and saving my life. It seems funny, but it is a struggle. When I looked at the definition I saw that it says that it is an ACQUIRED pattern REGULARLY FOLLOWED. That rings such a warning bell in my head. I find myself when pulling up my internet browser in the morning going straight to three sites: my school email, my personal email and Facebook. I do this every time! Its a habit that I consistently do! I used to hardly ever check my school email, but not that I'm a president of a club, the school email is a major way of communication. I acquired this habit by regularly going to these sites each morning to the point that I no longer think about it, my hands know exactly what they are doing and I hardly need to have my eyes open.

Habits are difficult to get rid of, clearly. Some people have terrible habits, ones that are killing them literally, ones that are morally disgusting, ones that keep themselves from ever becoming greater than who they are, ones that hold them back from attaining their potential. Its sad at times, but its true. On the other side, some people are great at what they do because they made their habits good. Its been said that great people don't do great things, they do the ordinary things greatly. You see the difference? They teach themselves to do the every day mundane better than they did it before, better than anyone else is doing it and thus it became a habit. They made greatness their habit and that is why that are said they are great. What your habits are is who you become. If you make your habit something that will kill you, then death will become you. If you make your habit to be successful, then success will follow. All you have to do is acquire it, one step at a time.