All of us are creatures of habit. We make them, and then our habits make us. Habits literally direct our daily living and working. Some are productive, some not and others are downright destructive!
Successful people know that habits can either be a servant or a slave master. That explains why they make a habit of choosing to do what failures won’t.
If you want to achieve true excellence, you must appreciate the importance of habit and recognize three things.
First, every habit is begun, maintained and/or changed through exercise of free will (choice).
Second, the BRIDGE from mediocrity to genuine significance and success that matters is consciously choosing to develop and continually practice Wise Habits.
Third, all habits are formed or broken in the inner person…before they manifest in outward behavior.
This is why our spiritual life should be our #1 priority.
In his definition of habit, Stephen Covey emphasized three dimensions of our inward life or if you prefer three faculties of the spirit person. He said habit is what happens at the intersection of knowledge, skill and desire.
Knowledge is the spirit person knowing what to do; skill is the inward person knowing how to do it; desire is the spirit person possessing the requisite motivation to do it. Among those, I strongly believe desire is the most key.
To stop an unwise habit and replace it with a wise one requires higher character that elevates thinking…inner change that leads to better inward being and superior outward behavior and performance. Better inward being requires 3-D Change:
- Desire—You must want to… have the desire required to quit a habit and replace it with a wiser one;
- Determination—You must have the will power to put forth the effort to change for better;
- Discipline—You must take responsibility for your habits.
Special fuel in a rocket engine propels astronauts out of the grip of gravity and into outer space exploration. Wise Habit is the special fuel that assures you can soar to your maximum potential.
And according to Philippians 2:5, 13, it is only by the power and transforming work of the Spirit of God in the inward person that our desires can be changed and a new mind possessed…in different words, by inward the presence and rewiring work of the Holy Spirit, personal determination and discipline are elevated to the point that we possess Christ-like character and that higher character reprograms our thinking so Wise Habits can and are formed and maintained.
About the Authors
Cecil O. Kemp Jr. and his wife Patty are very successful business owners who have written 26 books, including Cecil’s best-seller: 7 Laws of True Prosperity (Secrets of Genuine Success!). He and Patty are nationally known, highly sought after motivational speakers and teachers, and life, leadership, financial, and business coaches and mentors. For more information or to purchase their books, go here.