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The Two Habits
Habits are powerful; they either give you power, or they take your power away.
When you’re in a place of choice with your habits, you can deal with situations more effectively.
But when your emotions are on autopilot, they can lessen your power.
For example, if your habitual emotional go-to is anxiety or anger or defensiveness, your power has been instantly taken away. You are literally out of control when you are on autopilot.
Developing the habit of mindfulness allows you to develop the habit of choice.
When you get in the habit of putting yourself in a place of choice, you can maintain control in virtually any situation.
If you have a default (habitual) emotion that does not serve you, here are two simple habits to develop in order to instantly feel more in control of yourself, and of the situation at hand.
1. You have heard this a million times, and if you’re still not doing it, you’re missing out on being in control! Take a flipping breath. It sounds so simple, and every time someone else is stressing out, you tell them to take a breath. But most people don’t give this advice to themselves.
The difference between reacting, which is autopilot, and responding which is choice, is one breath.
