We had an adage in the Air Force, ‘To be early is to be on time.’ And the saying has a deeper meaning than just being to appointments on time. It means to take care of concerns as soon as possible. Take care of those problems before they turn into significant issues.
Considering the planes that we flew in, the spacecraft we used, and the missions we had, a small concern not taken care of could quickly grow into a massive problem. It was vitally important for us to stay on top of what was going on and keep everything working well. Staying on top of things in your work life and your home is just as vital to you as my mission was to me.
You need to stay on top of those things you count on, and the things that would be problematic if they failed. Missing a payment to the utilities could leave you in the dark. Running out of some medications might cause severe medical problems. Not filling the car with gas and checking the tires could end up with you stuck in the middle of nowhere and you may not have enough bars on your phone to call for help. You need to stay on top of what is essential.
The good news is if you do something long enough it becomes a habit. You do good things you have good habits. If you do bad things, you have bad habits. I cannot tell you which habits will be your good ones, and which habits will be the bad ones. All I can do is recommend you take a look at what you do and find out what works for you and what seems to be problematic.
If something is actually working in your favor and possibly even helps others you interact with, it may be a good habit, and you may want to keep it. If you find yourself running down to the utility company the week after the payment was due, or if you continually have to call your doctor for new medications, maybe those habits are not your best ones. The good news is if you want to fix that you can.
A habit is nothing more than doing something over and over again in a certain way. If you like what you’re doing and it helps you, keep doing it. If you find yourself doing something the same way time after time and it causes you a problem, you need to replace it with something that does work for you. And to replace it all you have to do is pick something different that you think will work for you and try it out. If it works well, keep doing it.
Many people who try to get rid of a bad habit do so cold turkey. This leaves a vacuum where the bad habit used to be. And vacuums cannot happen in our world, and that is why picking a bad habit is hard to do. Instead of stopping cold turkey and leaving a void, start a good habit that replaces the bad one. This way you have no gap to contend with because you’re busy doing the new good habit.
No one else can tell you what is going to work and not work for you. You have to try and then figure that out on your own. The only thing anyone else can do is give you encouragement and possibly help you consider ideas. In your life, only you are in charge.
Thanks for being with me today. I hope to be with you again tomorrow.
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