Yesterday I experienced the powerful result of life practices built on consistent habits. Normally when I get to the point of high anxiety, things would just completely melt down and I would find myself settling to my lowest common denominator. When you do not have any good habits to fall back on, you fall back on nothing. Nothing is not a good place.
The problem with a foundation built on nothing is you could keep plummeting for awhile. Sinking ever deeper into despair until you eventually get tired of your self loathing and pity and pull yourself back up to a reasonable form of existence.
Contrast that downward cycle with the lifestyle based on absolutely consistent habits. Even though I was generally feeling miserable, discouraged, and wanted to crawl in a hole for three days…. I still woke up and wrote my list out. I still prayed. I still ran. I still did pushups, situps, squats. I also did all my latest habit additions. I did accomplish some other things, but for the most part my heart was not in it.
However, when the day was over, I realized that I had kept my commitment and although I had fell into a bit of a funk, the valley of despair was not that far down. There will not be a cycle of several days of discouragement. There will not be a need to pick myself off the ground. I only fell to the foundation, in this case a firm foundation because it is built on solid principles rooted in a core faith.
Simply incredible change for me. No more giant setbacks for me!
Guy Reams (202)
365 Member
