From the minute we first wake up in the morning until our head hits the pillow again at night, we spend our day – sometimes mindlessly – making choices. 

Black coffee or cream and sugar?

There’s this innate sense of knowing what we like and going with it.

Fruit and yogurt or full English breakfast?

We make choice after choice after choice with little or no thought. In reality, with little or no thought these aren’t really choices, they’re just habits; patterns of behavior that we engage in over and over. 

Polished pumps or sneakers?

When thinking about choices, we typically think of the big things – the love, the job, the city… but probably what is more important is the small everyday things: What we drink or eat. How we dress or style our hair. These micro choices, these minuscule behaviors are frequently the simplest elements about ourselves that give others a sense of our character. However, they have a huge impact. These habits craft our life; they shape it and give it meaning.

Everything in your life is a reflection of a choice you have made. Want a different result, make a different choice.

Anonymous

Read a book or watch TV?

In the last 20 years or so, I’ve been hearing more and more about the impact of habits on our lives. There is a wide audience of people, perhaps like yourself that want to make life changes, but always seem to fall back into the same old patterns. 

They say it takes 21 days to form or conversely break a habit. 21 days to change an ingrained aspect of yourself.

If you have a mind to, there are scores of books, podcasts and videos available on the topic: 

The Power of Habit – Charles Duhigg

Tiny Habits – BH Fogg, Phd

7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey

Atomic Habits – James Clear

Even though there is science to back up the habit phenomenon it troubles me that I’m not 100% on purpose steering my actions. Oh, I’m still responsible because these habits are of my making – but, dammit! when I do stupid shit, I don’t want to be held accountable! LOL. 

Note: I’m not talking about earth-shattering stupidity, just the run-of-the-mill  excessive calorie ingestion, lack of exercise and wasting time surfing the net.

May your choices reflect your hopes not your fears.

Nelson Mandela

When I get down on myself about my habits – and unconscious actions, I gently remind myself that 21 days isn’t a long time – and if it is important, I can find the willpower to make that change – and evolve my habits.

This leads me back to my drawing and what it means to me. 

My sparrow is sitting in a field of cotton – just waiting to be picked- considering the sunrise on the horizon.  When you make a bad choice – that doesn’t define who you are. You can choose differently next time. Tomorrow is a new day

I dwell in possibility.

Emily Dickinson