Yin vs YangThe Battle for Success in Life

Everyone has a few bad habits. It’s natural, something that developed over the course of life. Bad habits are hard to break. For some, it can be as dangerous as heavy drugs or smoking. For others, it’s that midnight snack they regret in the morning. What ever it is, it’s something we all commonly refer to as a ‘bad habit’.

What exactly does that mean? What is a habit? Oxford American Dictionaries defines a habit as ‘a settled regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up. This can develop into a bad habit.’ I feel that definition we have all accepted gives the word ‘habit’ a bad name.

By way of life, most people associate the word habit with negative overtones. A habit, for the most part, is considered bad. However, let us look a little deeper into this meaning from a yin verses yang perspective. If habits can have negative meanings, what then are it’s positive meanings? What is a good habit?

People who become incredibly wealthy have formed a ‘habit’ of making money. People who get into incredible shape have formed a ‘habit’ of working out & eating right. People who do well in anything, be it sports, school, finances, whatever; it is because they have formed a habit doing these ‘good’ things.

How does that happen? Is it luck, or destiny? Maybe. But the truth is these ‘good’ habits were probably formed exactly like the ‘bad’ habits are: One day at a time.

Let’s take an example of an addict with a drug habit. Someone has to try a drug for the first time. It may be rough at first, but it gets easier and easier with each use. Over time, they become more comfortable using that drug to get high. Eventually, getting high becomes a daily habit that is hard to break.

Now, let’s take the example of a wealthy investor. Someone has to take that initial step one day and invest their own hard earned money. It may be rough at first, but it gets easier and easier with each investment. Over time, they become more comfortable investing to gain wealth. Eventually, gaining wealth becomes a daily habit that is hard to break.

You see, it works both ways. For instance, how do you avoid a bad habit? For the drug addict, it would be to never get high that first time. So how do you form a good habit? For the wealthy investor, it is taking that initial risk with the first investment. He probably even lost money. Robert Kiyosaki had a great quote in his book ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’……

‘I never met a rich man that hadn’t lost money, but I met many poor people who never lost a dime.’

Alcoholics don’t become alcoholics in a day. Neither do real estate tycoons. They both started slowly, one day at a time. So the next time you have that urge to do something ‘just this once’, remember how deceiving that can be. On the flip side, the next time you feel overwhelmed, just take it one day at a time. Habits are formed by what we do on a daily basis. Good or bad, the choice is ours.