PRACTICE: Think of one thing you do every day.
My journals track my daily activities from waking to going to bed. I generally write in the morning after 30 minutes plus of exercise and the daily coffee run. I capture the previous day and the beginning of the current one. If one thing breaks the routine, I am out of sorts and I don’t like being “that” person. So, I thought I would examine the why behind one of my early morning rituals.
Aside from the relief of accumulated overnight body fluids, upon rising, I immediately drink 8 plus ounces of water and take a small pill for an underactive thyroid. I have taken this small pill almost half of my life. Taking it is a ritual worth keeping for health reasons. Every day, I write the name of the drug and the time taken in my journal.
I started doing this about 5 years ago after research supported taking the drug immediately upon rising and minimally 30 minutes before consuming anything else for optimal results. I wanted to establish the practice and recording was good reinforcement. 5 years later, I can safely say it is ingrained. A bottle of water placed on the nightstand each night serves as a gentle reminder. My current regimen hasn’t changed for many years. Why am I writing it down? It is a small thing, but it made me wonder about bigger and more time-consuming rituals that may have outlived their practicality.
When seeking to change something, why is always a good starting point. The first answer that popped in my head was, “I always do it.” Next question to myself was, "what does recording do for you – does it add to your daily quality of life?" I responded with, “adds nothing.” Third question to self, “If you didn’t do it would you miss it? I hesitated before answering. I liked the visual that the word and time created on my daily pages and ultimately answered, “yes.” The final question that I asked myself, “is the visual a good enough of a reason to continue doing something that adds nothing to your life?”
This is a simplistic, harmless example of something that I do habitually. Some of my habits are not as benign. The questions of why, what is added or subtracted, and would it be missed are still valid. Unless you are an unusual person, the answer to the later question will always be “yes.” After all, it is a habit/routine/ritual.
I have discontinued this practice.
Titus 2:7
PONDER THIS THOUGHT --- Habits serve us well until we begin to serve the habit.
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