Don’t Feed the Animals

It is said we are creatures of habit.  As I reflect on my own life, I see many places where habit rules the day.  Whether it’s my morning routine, driving, or any number of other daily tasks, habit enables me to function with efficiency and speed.  But not every habit in my life is healthy or helpful.  There are some things I do without much thought that don’t serve me well.  Why then do I keep feeding them?

A visit to the zoo is a great reminder of the power of habit.  Posted prominently are signs clearly stating “Do Not Feed the Animals”.  These signs are meant to ensure the zoo inhabitants receive only foods designed for proper nutrition.  Junk food and other items only serve to undermine their health and lead to ‘bad habits’ relying on handouts.  The same is true of our personal habits.  The more we feed them, the harder it becomes to stop.  Our habits are like hungry animals constantly seeking out nourishment.  Each time we indulge them they strengthen creating cravings that continually cry out for more.

Habits (good or bad) undermine personal awareness.  Positive habits can help us navigate our daily lives with greater ease.  Yet we become captive to all habits when we lose track of them.  They become like zoo cages keeping us confined to a small space.  We walk through life without challenging the boundaries believing there is safety and comfort within the walls.  Slowly, we lose the instinct of freedom we were born with.  We then go through our days in relative boredom living a routine that offers little excitement or growth.  During occasional moments of insight, we look beyond the bars and wonder “is this all there is?”

Habits (especially bad ones) are like unwanted house guests – we can never get them to leave.  Science is shedding light on why ridding oneself of a habit is so difficult.  Habits create chemical patterns in the brain similar to addiction.  When you choose to stop feeding a habit, it screams out for food.  We can experience symptoms similar to withdrawal as our brain seeks out its fix.  If you give in, it reinforces the brain pattern making subsequent attempts even more difficult.  This is the reason New Year’s resolutions usually fail.  Starving a wayward habit is the only way to break the cycle.  Don’t feed the animals!

Choosing your habits carefully begins with awareness.  An exercise I use on a frequent basis is to make a small change in a very simple habit.  For example, most of us have a morning routine.  We get out of bed, maybe make coffee, read the news, shower, brush teeth, comb hair, etc…  You can probably relate to some or all of these.  I select just one of those routine activities and change it in a small way. Perhaps I change the sequence or start at a different place.  For instance, have you ever observed the sequence you use when you shower?  Chances are, you have a pattern that rarely changes – start there.  In making this small adjustment, bring awareness to the habit.  This exercise enables me to examine other areas in my life where habit lives.  It also reminds me that I’m in control and that simple awareness enables me to change.

Another “trick” I have added to my awareness of habit is to use the mantra “Don’t feed the animals” when I become tempted to entertain a habit I’m trying to rid myself of.  Just as I’m about to succumb to its temptation, I repeat the mantra to increase awareness and remind myself I no longer want this habit.  I may have to repeat it several times with increasing emphasis before the tendency subsides.  It’s also a great way of remembering that I’m in charge. 

We are creatures of habit, but we have the power to choose where and when those habits serve us well.  Awareness allows us to make better choices.  Next time you find yourself in the middle of an unhealthy or unwanted habit, remember – don’t feed the animals!

Duane Grove is founder of Connect2Action and an aspiring quiet, reflective servant-leader.  Curious sage in perpetual development connecting us all on a journey of discovery of our highest purpose.  Follow Duane on Twitter @connect2action and connect with him on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google+.  Learn more about Connect2Action by visiting www.connect2action.com.

You can follow his blogs at:  mindfulperspectives.blogspot.com and connect2action.blogspot.com