What are Habits?What are Habits?What are habits? Habits are what you do repeatedly without any conscious thinking and deciding on every occasion. It is an action you carry out in an automatic way. The force of habit controls the entire universe. In nature, the earth, the sun, the moon, the seasons are all controlled by the law of habit. The law of gravitation is back up by habit. When a pencil falls from your hand it drops to the floor. Once you fold a piece of paper it tends to bend along the same points. In living matter habit shows its power even more clearly. Notice how easily your hair could be trained or arranged in one side or another with a gentle comb or brush. In your body, habit controls all the unconscious actions. You breathe in and out in a completely automatic way. Your heart pumps out blood which circulates around the body by the power of habit. The process of food digestion and absorption is carried out by habit. There is one particular form of living tissue which is most susceptible to habit; it is, your nerve tissue. How your habit manifests When you understand the way your body works, you will understand why you are bound to have habits. You are really a bundle of habits. Hence, habits will develop whether you wish them or not. Habits manifest in two ways as: Habits of Action The habits of action occur every time you tie your shoes, take a walk or drive down street. In the Bible the word custom is used to mean habit. What are habits of Jesus Christ? Here is what the Bible says of Jesus:
What are habits for Paul? Concerning the habits of Paul: “And Paul, as his custom was, went in unto them, and for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures” ~ Acts 17:2 What are habits for some Christians and the Church? See from the Bible on the habit of the church and Christians: “But if any man seemeth to be contentious, we have no such custom, neither the churches of God.” What are Habits of Thoughts The habits of thoughts are more subtle. For example, when I ask you what is the first day of the week? Your mind supplies the habitual answer without you thinking about it again. Your speech or the way you talk, or what you say and how you say it, reveal in most instances your habit of thought. Your mind is arranged to work by habit in a certain pattern. You could now readily see a large part of what you do and think during the course of twenty−four hours is by habit. Take good note of this, ten years to come you would be more under the control of the habits you cultivate and entertain now. What Influence your Habits? Your habits are very important as they determine the quality of your life. They are greatly influenced by: Your friends help you form good or bad habits. Your mind is regularly drawing its thinking material from your surroundings. What you see, hear, touch affect your entire life just as the air in your room affect your wellbeing. Hence both your environment and friends influence your action, and exercise controls over your opinions. If you want to form a good habit, it is very important to select your environment and friends with great caution. Now is the Time The conclusion is simple. Since you cannot avoid forming habits, it is important at this early stage in life, to form desirable and very useful habits. And start breaking off those habits which have the potential to hinder your progress and success in the future. See also: |