“If you do not pour water on your plant, what will happen? It will slowly wither and die. Our habits will also slowly wither and die away if we do not give them an opportunity to manifest. You need not fight to stop a habit. Just don’t give it an opportunity to repeat itself. (67)” ― Swami Satchidananda, The Yoga Sutras
“Repetition is the mother of skill.” Anthony Robbins
It's the little things - the priorities we set and activities we choose every day, day after day, for weeks, months and years, that ultimately empower us or do us in. Some are so common and so habitual that we hardly even notice how their effects accumulate over time.
Repetition is a powerful thing. It’s how we learn things, become skillful at challenging tasks; how we get them to stick and become second nature. It’s nice to know that simple repetition over a period of time is all it takes to develop a good habit like meditating or cooking healthy food; or to become skillful in an art form, trade or profession, such as painting, dancing, or acupuncture.
How tragic if the things that become second nature, due to simple lack of clear intention, are things that drive nails into early graves, suck our time, dull our senses, and keep us from more important things – ultimately realizing our dreams! If we add up the hours per day spent on any particular habit (internet surfing, stress eating, or procrastinating for instance), multiply over the course of a year, and then over the course of a lifetime, the reality of “where does the time go?” can be staggering.
Dreaming up and setting huge goals and intentions is magnificent! However, the true physical, mental and emotional stamina necessary to realize magnificence is cultivated through a persistent practice of Self love and discipline, attentiveness and compassion.
Questions that I’m asking myself today, and I invite you to explore as well:
Which of your habits are the most life-giving?
What habits drain your energy and misuse your time?
What small thing will you do to empower yourself today?