Why changing your habits will make you happier

Why things are often simple but devilishly difficult to to do

We are miraculous creatures of habit, and we habitually feel the same way, do the same things and repeat the same actions while valiantly believing that things will be DIFFERENT.

What I’ve come to slowly understand after a few years of meditation, mindful focus and running is that often the only way to change how I feel is to consciously and deliberately start moving.

Saturday mornings are usually pretty deadly for me.

On Friday night I head to bed determined to wake up for an early morning run,

Because you can and you should, I often say to myself.

But when the morning comes around I am so engrossed in my old and painfully dull habits that I neglect the run. While I’ve learned over time that I shouldn’t blame myself for what I haven’t done; I equally understand the need for better actions.

So I almost habitually run in the late afternoon instead.

Then I feel better.

What my Saturday struggle tells me is that I’ve made neglect a habit. Although the run in the afternoon elevates my mood, I know that this is partly true because my body and mind are used to this cycle. But at the same time if I don’t go for the run I feel crummy, so I tend to fall into a Catch-22.

And that’s fine too.

It’s fine that I have loops because I trust myself enough to know that I will overcome them with time, or maybe not, but either way I’ll be at ease. I’ll be content. Happy.

But self introspection aside, I’ve learned that changing my habits will change how my mind, body, and my soul will react to the world around me. One of my favourite quotes is by Casey, who a few years ago inspired me,

Work will work when nothing else will work.

— Casey Neistat

What this meant to me was that if I chose to, I could change how I feel by changing the world around me. Making an impact will leave an impact on me.

Our brains are able to to produce all of the bio-chemicals needed for pleasure, addiction, sadness, anger and any other of the millions of emotions that we are capable of feeling. The trick I think, is to understand that you really are capable of feeling anything, at any time, if you choose to.

If you don’t want to think about something, you don’t have to,

and if you want to feel as though you are enough, you are.

You are enough.

The idea is simple enough to understand, but to really make use of it, and to apply it to yourself, that’s f*cking hard.

In a world with more input, responsibility and self-perceived veils of self, it’s hard to accept that you can feel and be who and whatever you want to be. But if you choose to be in control, then you will.

For that reason I think that we should strive to balance change and stagnation, because if you choose who you are, then there is no benefit in fighting your own nature.

I think that you should keep habits that bring you peace and happiness, but also change them at your whim. Neither change or stagnation is good or bad. And both stagnation and change will rock your boat in some shape or form.

Everything affects the boat, wind, rain, grail, hurricanes, or whales.

But above all,

the direction the captain chooses to steer towards will change the trials the boat will face.

Know the captain. He directs the boat.