At this point in our lives, I feel like we all understand the power of habits, good or bad. Habits have a sort of staying power once they are established and cultivated. That is what makes our least desirable habits difficult to overcome; it is like cutting down an old but invasive tree. Habits typically describe actions that we do or don’t do; but today I wanted to talk about a different sort of habit, our thought habits.
What are thought habits? Well, they are sort of like habits in the sense that they’ve become automatic and cultivated, for better or worse, but describe thoughts more than they do our actual actions. Keep in mine, as we will soon find out, our thoughts eventually influence what actions we take.
From the Maxim of Agency: “Jedi are active in the world, acting as people of thought, and thinking like people of action. Be aware that beliefs become thoughts, thoughts become words, words become actions , actions become habits, habits become values, and values determine destiny.
As humans, we are constantly thinking. It is a non-negotiable part of this human experience. From thought to thought we may not be fully aware of the nature of our thoughts, even as we think them, unless our mindfulness and self awareness has been sufficiently developed. When we are able to isolate and recognize specific parts of our thought habits, we can begin to analyze them and determine if they are helpful or unhelpful to what we are trying to achieve.
An example of a thought habit that you may or may not share with me is:
“If I can’t say something nice, then I shouldn’t say anything at all.”
This could be a good thought if you find yourself saying things that you wish you hadn’t often. I discovered that this thought habit made me reluctant to speak up when there is a deficit in someone’s plan or there’s a chance for me to deliver some developmental feedback that is left unspoken.
Recognizing the habit was easy compared to overcoming the years of instilling that habit. The fifth teaching tells us that we “comprehend that we are beings of thought, feeling, and will, who flourish within the Force through self-aware action and lifelong learning.
In the end we may not always get it right, but as long as we focus on what is relevant to our own self-cultivation, with the doctrine as our guide, and a supportive community, how can we be wrong with their help?
