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Habits are the core of success. People who acquire good habits are far more likely to achieve extraordinary things. Luck often plays a role as well but people who acquire certain habits are more inclined to capitalize on those moments of good luck. In a similar manner good habits help one to overcome problems and constraints.
Today I simply marvelled at Seneca saying that he is not surprised when the gods are watching with anticipation to see how a good man fight a brave fight against bad circumstances. Whether you believe in gods or not, the image in my head of gods watching me in the arena to see how I apply my hard won skills to address problems is inspiring. I can imagine them betting on me and/or having their devices out to capture and record the fight. Changing our view on our problems in this way can often dilute the gravity of a situation that can be seen as an opportunity to apply the best of our skills.
The skills we have are really only skills when it is firmly based on a healthy set of habits. I used various apps to keep track of the skills I am developing through habits. Setting objectives without basing it on a healthy set of skills often negate those objectives naturally to failure. For example one can visualise a beautiful home and car and put its attainment on your goal list but if there is no financial acumen developed through healthy financial habits then it is a presage of failure.
By focusing on skill development as the base for achieving goals also focus us on today, the present moment. It is no longer about what we do in the future but about what we are doing in the present moment. From a Stoic perspective it is about the virtues we develop in our everyday living. You cannot develop a healthy body if you do not develop some physical skill through exercise and repetition. You cannot control your thoughts without some discipline in developing your concentration ability.
The challenge is consistency and application. There is simply not enough time to develop all the skills we need if we want to do it only in a practice ground. Habit development must be part of our daily routine. The way we wake up and prepare for the day might include a short meditation session which will proof far more useful over time than trying to have a long meditation only under specific favourable conditions. The point is not against a long meditation but rather on the fact that regularity outweighs ad hoc quality time. Regularity in its own can be established once we have integrated habits into our daily life.
Habits have a cumulative effect and is continually adding up. Like interest the longer a skill is practiced the more valuable it becomes and the more accessible that skill becomes as a tool in life. Different people will develop different habits and different skills. There is no right set of skills for our skills required is determined by our personality, environment etc. The key is to purposefully identify skills we want to develop and to make a concerted effort to make those skills working in our daily lives.
Copyright Jurgens Pieterse aka Zeal4living 2018
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