Good Morning!
Have you ever tried to break a habit or start a new one? If you have, then you probably know how difficult it can be. Habits are powerful. When used properly, they can give us an immense amount of power over ourselves and our lives. However, they can also have immense power over us making it difficult to become the person we were made to be. This week, I was reminded of just that in something rather unexpected… learning to dutch braid.
Learning to Dutch Braid
If you’ve ever met me it’s likely that you’ve seen my hair in braids. Since I was very young my mother would braid my hair to keep it tidy and out of my face. Eventually, I learned how to brain myself and it became one of my signature hair styles. Usually my braids are plain and simple with the occasional french braid here and there if I have extra time on my hands. Yet even a french braid uses the same pattern as a regular braid: right side over middle, left side over middle, and the cycle repeats.
That simple pattern became such a habit that I could braid my hair half asleep in the dark when I needed to (a very useful life skill). However it also became such a habit that when I tried to dutch braid my hair it was nearly impossible- and that was when I was wide awake with the light on. I didn’t think it would be that hard because I know how to braid… it wasn’t all that different. In fact it was the same exact pattern as a french braid but instead of going OVER the middle, you go UNDER it. That should be simple right?
WRONG the old pattern was such a habit that doing anything even slightly different was like re-learning it all from the beginning.
Breaking Old Habits
Every time I tried to dutch braid my hair I not only had to think about what it was I had to do, I had to also stop myself from doing what I was used to. It was not easy. At all. And also pretty frustrating. Why couldn’t I just do this??? That’s when I began to wonder: how much do I control my habits and how much do my habits control me?
I’m a bit of a control freak- I’m working on it I promise. So the thought of a simple habit, like braiding my hair, having control over my ability to do my hair didn’t sit too well with me. It wasn’t long before I was determined to break the habit- not entirely- but enough to regain control of my actions. I would learn to dutch braid my hair. Even if it took weeks. I would do it.
It turns out it only took about 5 days to break my braiding habit enough to dutch braid my hair with ease. And the best part? I could still braid my hair half asleep in the dark if I wanted to- dutch or french. I was back in control of my habits- at least this specific one.
Forming New Habits
I know this was a somewhat simple and silly example but hey! It gives me an excuse to show off my new braiding skills! Plus, it serves as an excellent introduction to next week’s focus: Routines. Which are pretty much habits made up of lots of other habits.
On Monday we’ll discuss that last question for Examining Yourself from “How to Make Great Decisions”: “Are You Doing your Daily Duties?”. We’ll look at figuring out what those are and how to accomplish them every day. One of the best ways to start doing is by building a Good Morning Routine (which we’ll discuss on Wednesday) and a Good Evening Routine (which we’ll discuss on Friday). I can’t wait to share these posts with all of you and hear what you have to say!
In the meantime enjoy my mini photo dump 🙂
