Twentieth century American philosopher Will Durant succinctly distilled a thought from the work of Aristotle in two short sentences:
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”
I have long believed in the power of habit. If you really stop to think about it, you’ll be amazed at just how much power habits have in your life. Even if you are a person who enjoys spontaneity and thinking outside of the box, you’re likely ruled by dozens, if not hundreds of habits that you’ve never consciously considered. More often than not, our unconscious habits determine the mundane, like:
- What side of the bed you sleep on
- Which sock you put on first
- How long you brush your teeth
- What you reach for first in the refrigerator
- How you answer the telephone
- When you eat your meals
- And so much more…
Our habits determine much more than just the mundane. Habits can control how we communicate with our peers, what measures we take to protect our health, how we respond in crisis, and the way we prioritize and pursue our goals. Habits have a lot of power. We really are “what we repeatedly do.”
But we don’t have to be slaves to our habits. The power of habit can be harnessed and leveraged to our advantage! Through the right habits, we can achieve excellence. It will take effort, but with determination and perseverance, you can replace your poor habits with better ones. You can go to bed an hour earlier each night. You can exercise an hour more each week. You can eat smaller portions at every meal. You can invest more in yourself each day. You can get one step closer to achieving your most important goals each day. You. Can. Do. It. It’s the power of habit!
Excellence is not something that just happens. Excellence is not a single act. Excellence is the result of good habits!
