That may seem like a strange question. I mean habits are just what we do over and over – aren’t they? Well, sort of. Things that we do repetitively can certainly become habits. And we all have certain bad habits that we would like to break; things like biting our fingernails, eating pop tarts for breakfast every day, or perhaps more damaging ones such as smoking or easily flying off the handle at the slightest provocation. But how might we use habits to enrich our lives?
Professor Charles Farhadian from Westmont College states that the average young person will spend 10,000 hours gaming by the age of 21. He points out the irony that Harvard Business Review notes that this is the same amount of time it takes to become an expert on a topic.
Think about that for a minute. We are going to spend those 10,000 hours doing something. We could spend them frivolously watching mindless TV or playing hour after hour of video games, with little to show for them, or we could use those same hours to become experts in our chosen field of study. So, it begs the question, as asked by author Dr. Gary Moon, “What are the patterns of thought and behavior in which I wish to become an expert?”
You see, by focusing our time and attention in developing intentional habits, we have the opportunity to change the very direction of our lives. I urge you to consider, how taking these steps might empower you to live a more purposeful life!