Our deepest habits were formed in the fire of emotion.

Think of you habits like a groove in the road. Think of the wagon trains on the old dirt and mud roads in the West.

Habits become more deeply ingrained over time, when the habit is repeated over time.

But the real depth comes when some weight is applied, and that weight comes in the form of deeply felt emotions.

If this is true, knowing this might be helpful in a couple of different ways.

First, it might allow us to diagnose why a certain habit or habits are so hard to change. They might be tied to a very emotional time or moment in our life and only by beginning to separate the habit from the emotion of the past.

Second, it allows us to apply emotion to begin a new habit. Whether it be an emotional response to quitting a bad habit (Never Again!) or an emotional response to starting a new habit (bedtime stories for a loved new child), emotion will drive that new habit deeper.

What habit(s) would you like to start or stop?

What emotions are at play?

Make it a great day.

Jake