October 14, 2024hrl
Not all days are created equal. Some have more problems than others. Some have more celebrations than others. And, of course, it is quite possible to have both simultaneously. The good news is if you have identified what behaviors are consistent with your identity aspirations and have then habituated them by creating habits from the derived behaviors, you can always be sure of getting on the path that leads toward your goals.
Not by focusing on your goals or aspirations but by focusing on your behaviors because behaviors are the only present-moment activities in your life as opposed to goals or aspirations, which are projections, not current realities. You only have one reality, which you are doing right now.
Therefore, if you can be doing the right thing right now, you can be sure that things will turn out all right. What do you need to do besides following your habits that can save you from your thoughts? It is also to be thinking at the same time. You can’t get away with just living in the present moment. You still have to integrate the past and the future into the present moment, which requires thinking, not just behavior. So, although your behaviors may be the priority, you can’t escape your thoughts.
There is a balancing act that has to go on every day. Although not always aligned, your behaviors and thoughts can be better integrated so that the alignment process takes less effort. And this is why your behaviors need to be derived from your identity. If you try to do things inconsistent with who you think you are and who you want to be, you will likely fail in those attempts.
How can you possibly know what to do and how to behave if you do not know who you are? You can easily do this if you are not being true to yourself. It is hard to be true to oneself because this requires self-knowledge. Not everyone takes the time to find out who they are. This is not a trivial exercise because they’re all always many people telling you who you should be and what you should do. And therefore, you have to tune them out, even though you would like to maintain relationships with them, or at least most of them.
Yes, you can be saved by your habits, but only if your habits are the right habits for you. And you can’t possibly create those habits without spending considerable time behaving in the manner you want to habituate. And you can’t possibly identify or derive those habits and behaviors unless you have taken the time to find out who you are. Some might feel like this is a luxury due to the many external forces impinging upon them.
It is not a luxury to find out who you are. It is imperative if you want to be true to yourself.