In my last couple of blogs, I've written about the pervasiveness of habit in my life. I've written about the need to accept this pervasiveness, to accept my "inner robot" making decisions automatically throughout the day because I always do THIS when THAT happens. From the moment the alarm clock rings until I go to bed, more decisions than I care to admit are made by my "inner robot". My "auto-pilot", to a large degree, flies the airplane.
And my habits get their power, their ability to dictate my actions with or without my conscious agreement, from my "inner lab rat", my tendency to behave in whatever way I find most rewarding, my tendency to do whatever I need to do to get my "cheese".
So where does this leave my "inner artist", the being that creates my experience and my accomplishments? Is it possible for life to be filled with both unconscious habit and conscious creativity? Can I be a robot, a lab rat, and a human?
I think so. I think that habits create a framework within which I can be as skillful and spontaneous as I want to be. Habits get me out of bed. They feed me, exercise me, give me perspective through meditation, get me to work, and get me to check my e-mails and review my To-Do List. If they are healthy habits, I end up relaxed, well fed, physically fit, and clear about my priorities and plans when I face each challenge that arises in my day. And it is when these challenges arise that my inner robot and inner rat step back and allow my inner artist to take over.
No comments:
Post a Comment