The 21 Day Difference

New years resolutions have long been the focus of late December - early January. It is interesting, that for so many of us, the resolutions we make rarely have enough impact on our lives to be any more than a fleeting thought by the month of March. In less than three months we so easily forget the promises that we make to ourselves to lose the weight, get organized, get out of debt, or learn something new.

This may be due to the habits we embrace. Poor habits are hard to break, and good ones, although not so hard to begin, are extremely difficult to maintain. Last night while I was in bed thinking of the "new year," of course I began thinking about resolutions. I remembered hearing over and over again as a child "it takes three weeks (21 days) to form a habit." For some, good habits come easily; yet for others it seems nearly impossible. Often it is not so cut and dry as just starting a good habit - we usually have to break the bad habit first, then replace it with a good one.

And why is it that we never hear of it taking three weeks to establish a bad habit? I think it is probably because the habits we would call "bad" are usually our habits of laziness and procrastination. How often do we find ourselves looking for the easy way out of something? And as one of my good friends used to always say, "why do it now when you can wait and do it later?" We as humans have such a propensity for indolence.

 

New years resolutions are so often nothing more than promises of a change in our habits - a difference in routine that may take some getting used to. I personally have made it a practice not to make new years resolutions; not because I don't want to change, but because I am the type of person who would prefer not to be disappointed, even though by myself, than to make a promise I probably would not keep. I still attempt to form good habits and make the changes in my life necessary to grow and become a better man. I just try to not let it all hinge on the first day of January every year.

So here is the challenge. For many, the new year marks a fresh start. I challenge you to make a "21 day difference" and use the first day of every month this year to break a "bad" habit and form a "good" one.

And remember this little mantra:

Three weeks to form a good habit - one day to break it.

Three weeks to break a bad habit - one day to form it.