My yellow lab is a champ at creating habits. You know why? She pays really good attention and she has a great memory.
When she was a puppy, I used to give her a treat when she could yawn on command. Don’t ask me why, it’s just she was so cute and so smart it seemed like a fun game.
Well, I haven’t given her a treat for yawning for at least a year but still, she continues to do it.
When it comes to creating habits, humans aren’t much different than my yellow lab.
Sometimes a key event that happened in childhood triggers a response in the current day. This can happen even if you live in a new neighborhood, live with different people or work in a different state. You will feel and experience it as if it was 35 years ago.
Let me give you an example. Cindy got slapped across the face every time she was bold or brave or ‘out-of-control’. She was constantly told to “settle down.” On the other hand, she was praised, loved, adored and admired for taking care of other people. Which behaviors do you think Cindy will engage in as a result of this early training?
Chances are she will try to be ‘in control’, meek and shy and will only feel okay about herself when she is helping others. Cindy will do this even if it is self-destructive, because as a child she was paying close attention and the learning took place in a highly significant relationship. Also, since there was trauma associated with this experience, a part of her (even if it’s subconscious) never forgot.
Luckily, you can create new habits at anytime. Once you understand that the past can never be changed, you can use your energy to create a new tomorrow. That’s what my free MP3 download, Create The Life You Want is all about. It was a CD like this one that really helped me to begin turning my life around and I cherish it to this day.
To get your free download, simply enter your name and e-mail address below. If you can’t see the subscription box, go to http://icreatehabits.com to sign up.
