Cementing Habits

See the Patience Pass it On commercial - A boy walks on wet cement ...

When you first mix and pour cement, it is thick and viscous but still pliable. You can still mold and shape it with effort. You can remove objects from it or firmly plant something in it. However, as time goes on, the cement hardens and becomes less malleable. More effort and energy is required to manipulate it. Eventually, it solidifies and what was once flexible and temporary is now rigid and permanent.

Our habits are much the same way. While it is never easy to change our habits and routines, they are more pliable early on. Though they still require exertion and determination to alter, their shape isn’t solidified yet. As time passes, however, they become more fixed and rigid, increasingly resistant to change. If those habits remain in place long enough, they become almost impossible to modify, requiring a shattering event to break the mold, often accompanied by pain and collateral damage.

Breaking a bad habit or optimizing a sub-par routine is never easy. But it only gets harder with time. Don’t wait until you need a sledgehammer.

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