The last couple of posts have been about taking action and how important it is to just do something sometimes in order to get back on track. There’s another simple reason to take action. The more you take action, it becomes a habit. Habits are simply repeated actions that have become so automatic that we don’t even have to think about them.
That’s why taking action is so important. Even the ability to take action can be made into an automatic habit. Taking action toward our goals is a specific type of action that creates certain feelings and induces certain mental states. These feelings and mental states will encourage us to take more actions toward our goals. Each time we take action, positive feelings and attitude are reinforced.
This is how good habits are built and reinforced. Even bad habits that we create are going to have some good feeling or mental state associated with it. Think about those of us that are overweight. We don’t eat too much because we hate it. We love it. Yet, overeating is a bad habit that comes from the enjoyment of a good meal. At some point the bad habit will no longer be associated with something good, but the habit remains. It’s become automatic.
That’s why our actions need to be intentionally directed toward our goals and vision. If we don’t watch what we do, we might easily fall into the trap of developing habits that give us an immediate good that may be a long-term bad thing, such as overeating leading to obesity.
Keep taking actions.
Create those habits.
But take the RIGHT actions.
Create the RIGHT habits.
