STARTING A HABIT
Darya R ose
HOW TO START A HABIT YOU DON ' T ENJOY
SOMETHING AMAZING happened this morning .
Instead of hopping out of bed , having breakfast , then plunging myself headlong into work , I casually sipped my coffee , ate my muesli , then wandered into my office for a 30 minute meditation session before even turning on my computer . What ’ s amazing isn ’ t that I ’ ve done this once , but that I ’ ve been doing it for months . Even more amazing is that I love it . Meditation is not an easy habit to develop , because the reward is not immediate or obvious .
Sure I know what the reward is in theory . Meditation is supposed to help me focus better , reduce stress and increase contentment . It should help me be more creative and do better work . It should help me build deeper relationships with the people I love . It should be easier for me to appreciate the important things .
Only it ’ s incredibly frustrating to try to focus on my breath when new thoughts distract me every few seconds . It takes time out of my day I could really use for other important things . And during most of the session I feel like a total failure . I want all those benefits , but gawd I ’ d rather watch paint dry .
Of course meditation isn ’ t the only habit that fits in the “ I know I should , but this really doesn ’ t feel very rewarding ” category . I felt the exact same way about flossing my teeth , which I now do daily ( even on vacation !). For you maybe it ’ s getting enough exercise or eating vegetables that still feels more like a chore than a rewarding habit .
So how can you get over the hump ?
When you struggle to form a new habit the easiest thing to do is blame yourself for being ill-equipped or blame the world for conspiring against you . But you and I both know that ’ s a cop-out . Instead of bemoaning
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