Everyone has those little habits that aren’t particularly conducive to a
calm existence. They may be habits you don’t even realise you partake
in, or you may not consider them to be of any significance. So you
gossip and complain a little bit sometimes it’s not that big of a deal,
right? They’re just things we do sometimes.
Terence Stone has some
insights as to why habits like this and a couple more are actually
pretty detrimental:
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about why we humans do the things we
do. It got me thinking, “How much of what we do is unnecessary, or even
worse, detrimental to our well-being?” After speaking to a few friends,
we came up with a list of over 50 items, which I quickly narrowed down
to 8 as I found many that fit into similar categories.
I’d also
like to add that these things appear to stem from fear. In fact, my
guess is that 98 percent of the negative/apathetic action or inaction we
take is fear-based. I’ll go even further to say that these items stem
from one very specific and very universal fear: the fear of death. Not
physical death, but death of the ego or perceived self.
You see,
the mind can be very tricky. It latches onto ideas, events, images,
feelings, everything really. In this way, it attempts to create a sense
of self. The mind especially loves patterns or habits. It follows that
the more habitual action in which we engage, the more the mind
identifies, and says, “OK, this is who I am.”
If our habits tend
to be mostly negative, then how does that make us feel about who we are?
As if that weren’t enough, we become attached to that sense of self,
and develop aversion to anything that threatens it. Just some food for
thought as you look over the list.
The List
1. Complaining
This is one of the
most natural of human tendencies. It is one of the largest tell-tale
signs of an unconscious mind and resistance to what is. Next time you find yourself complaining, ask yourself why. Can you accept the situation?
2. Gossiping
Another
common human trait. What is it really doing for you? Remember that the
person you’re speaking about is a complex being with dreams and fears
just like you. Chances are you probably don’t know their whole life
story or circumstances. Cultivate compassion.
3. Procrastination
In
my experience, procrastination involves some pretty intense anxiety.
You know what you need to do, but you just can’t bring yourself to do it
NOW. Why put yourself through that? Take a breath and do what you gotta
do.
4. Incessant business
Whether you have the most
important job in the world or not, we all feel the need to do something
or many things often. That is fine and natural. But we all must take a
breather. Find the Taoist in you, and think, “At the end of my life,
will I regret that I didn’t do more work, or will I regret that I didn’t
spend more time really enjoying myself and others?”
5. Spending money on things you don’t need
Not
sure this needs too much explanation. Most of the time we buy things to
increase our sense of self. Remember that your self, your true self,
needs no add-ons. You are already whole. You just need to realize that.
On a practical note, this will also save you a good deal of money!
6. Worrying about what everyone thinks about you
This
may surprise you to hear, but most of the time no one is thinking about
you. Don’t take this the wrong way. All I mean to say is that worrying
about what others think is ultimately worrying about yourself in a
negative light. And guess what? Everyone else is doing the same thing.
Most humans are self-involved. Take comfort in this and stop concerning
yourself with the thoughts of others. It’ll free up a lot of mental
space!
7. Perfectionism and self-doubt
Recently, someone
said to me, “Perfectionism is actually Failurism.” Why? Because when you
are a perfectionist, you constantly doubt yourself. You look for the
failure in your life and attempt to fix it. Then you have to deal with
all the failures that crop up from your attempt to fix the last failure.
It is a destructive and unnecessary cycle. If you’re always focusing on
the negative, your mind begins to identify with that. Why not try
focusing mostly on the positive?
8. Dwelling on the past and worrying about the future
Ah,
yes. This is the most insidious of habits. Fear loves this habit,
because it keeps you in a perpetual state of terror. You are afraid to
repeat past mistakes or let go of past hurts. You spend your time
fantasizing about how you will fail. Guess what? It’s not real. The past
is gone forever. You will never actually be in the future. All we have
is this moment. How will you choose to spend it?
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