How Habits Drive Your Success or Failure
Merriam-Webster defines a habit as:
1: A SETTLED TENDENCY OR USUAL MANNER OF BEHAVIOR
- “HER HABIT OF TAKING A MORNING WALK”
2(A): AN ACQUIRED MODE OF BEHAVIOR THAT HAS BECOME NEARLY OR COMPLETELY INVOLUNTARY
- “GOT UP EARLY FROM FORCE OF HABIT”
2(B): ADDICTION
2(C): A BEHAVIOR PATTERN ACQUIRED BY FREQUENT REPETITION OR PHYSIOLOGIC EXPOSURE THAT SHOWS ITSELF IN REGULARITY OR INCREASED FACILITY OF PERFORMANCE
The definition emphasizes that habits are behaviors. Specifically, these behaviors are involuntary, repetitive, and acquired.
Behaviors are actions. Therefore, habits are things that we do, like going to the gym or watching Netflix.
“Involuntary” means that we don’t think about them. Like, say, mindlessly getting into our car and going to the gym or mindlessly grabbing the remote and watching Netflix.
“Repetitive” signifies that we’re completing these actions over and over. Such as going to the gym each day or watching Netflix each day.
“Acquired” means that we created them.
We were not born with an inevitability to go to the gym, nor were we born to sit down and watch Netflix. No, we created…
