I sat with a dear protégé sometime ago. In my attempt to encourage him to live a studious life, he responded; “Sir, I’m not the reading type. I love audio and videos.” While I understand such preferences, I was led to ask him; “You are a graduate, right? How did you pass exams in school? I guess you did much reading than audio and videos?” I simply encouraged him to form winning habits.
Friend, success is not an event. It is a journey. This journey is defined by the habits that you live by daily (Proverbs 8:34). If you don’t master your habits, you cannot master success. Most times, we attempt to change our lives without changing our habits (Proverbs 23:7). Rather than focusing on success, you need to focus on your habits. We form habits, then habits form us.
What are your daily habits? Habits are the set of activities that you do repeatedly by discipline until you start doing them by default (Proverbs 6:6-11). They eventually become second nature to you. Your desire must translate to duty and discipline before they become a delight. Some of the most powerful habits of success are not enjoyable, but you can make them enjoyable as you stay consistent with them (Proverbs 22:29).
There is no habit that you cannot develop. It is better to decide good habits than to be a victim of bad habits unconsciously. Since your life cannot be a vacuum, if you don’t plan your life around good habits, you will end up living the life you never planned to live (Romans 7:19). Forming good habits ensures that you are in charge of your life and practices. It ensures you don’t live your life on autopilot.
Like the young man in our opening story, many people have concluded that they cannot do certain things. It is because they have not cultivated the discipline and consistency that make those things possible in their lives (Philippians 4:13). Nobody was born to read, pray, save, build relationships, etc. People who do so learn to do so by creating habits around such good practices.
Remember, if you don’t form good habits intentionally, you would be a victim of bad habits unconsciously (1 Timothy 4:15). It has been said that if you do something consistently for 21 days, it becomes a habit. What are you going to do consistently for 21 days and more that will change your life positively and significantly this year (Philippians 4:8)? Think about this.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria