Just as we shape the habits of our lives, so do the habits of our lives shape us. It is in shaping our habits that we shape ourselves, our future, and our destiny. It is in the habits of our lives that we find a glimpse of the grand destiny towards which we are walking.
Would you achieve highly? Then you must set the level of your habits as high as you would climb. Would you accomplish much? Then you must determine which habits will lead you to accomplish such things and establish them as the foundation upon which the rest of your life is built. This must be the case if you would achieve highly. To do this, one must seek the self-discipline to separate oneself from the habits of the majority of others.
We must understand that the further we separate ourselves from the habits of the majority of others, the greater will be our achievement. This is not to say that we are better than others. It simply means that if we want more than the common lot of man, then we must work to obtain it.
The majority of men and women achieve but little over the course of their lives as they but establish and further habits which lead them towards mediocrity, rather than greatness.
Let us remember also that – greatness is both a great blessing and a great curse; to the self-less it will prove the author of their salvation; to the self-ish it will prove the author of their destruction.
This brings up an important point to consider as you establish habits in your life: Do your habits lead you, either now or later, to be of service to your fellow men, or to develop your skills and talents to the point where they may serve others in the future? Or do your habits only serve yourself?
Greatness as the world sees it (money, finances, possessions, beauty, etc…) may be obtained by sheer hard work, determination, and a selfish will—but these things will not make you happy. True, the purpose of habits is to bring what we most want into our lives. Realize though, that money, technology, and possessions, in and of themselves, will not make you happy. Achievement, in and of itself, will not make you happy. True achievement must be aimed towards something.
Money, technology, and possessions are not the root of all evil—they are but tools which allow the expression of who you are inside. If you are unhappy, then you will manifest unhappiness on a grander scale. If you are happy, these tools will allow you to fully express your joy, develop your talents, and serve others on a grander scale as well.
Today I encourage you to look at the habits of your life. Do they lead you where you wish to go? Are they the habits at the root of all you would achieve in life? If not, then see where they lead and ask yourself if that destination is where you would go. If it is not, then identify the habits which will lead you there. Change them. Seek to build your life upon the foundation of the habits which will lead you in the way you must go.
I will leave you with a quote to ponder. It is one that has often reminded me to take ownership and reevaluate the habits of my life, and determine what it is that I would be and how I may choose to rise above my past and become something greater than I was before. I share it now with you that you too may carry it in the sacred pouch of your heart and on to a brighter tomorrow…
“Our potential is God’s gift to us, what we do with it is our gift to Him.”