Thursday, October 20, 2011

Projects and Habits


We practice democracy with our personal projects but when our habits are in place, we slavishly obey a dictatorship.

Make something a project and there is a beginning and an end. If the task is demanding, we can guarantee that the end will come soon because we cast and count the votes. Our rationalizations for lax behavior are without limit. Even when there is no time off, the project eventually ends.

Once past the border guards of a habit, however, we find ourselves in a dictatorship where escape is difficult and feelings seldom matter. We follow a rigid routine and do the required chores regardless of how we feel.

That's why so many of the items which we wish to achieve are best accomplished if we make them habits instead of projects. With habits we are restricting ourselves, but with projects we may be fooling ourselves.

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