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Are we then, the sum total of our habits, good or bad? Not necessarily. But what is needed is nothing short of an inner rebellion.
you drive the same route most days? When you get your first cup of coffee, do you add sugar or cream or both before you even taste it? When you answer the phone, do you always use the same salutation? When your meal arrives, do you taste it, or salt and pepper it first? Here’s my routine: I get out of bed on the same side every morning—the left side. When I shower, I start by soaping my left arm. I brush my upper teeth first, every time. In accordance with Archie Bunker’s Rules, I put on a sock-and-a-sock and ashoe-and-a-shoe (only a Meathead would do otherwise!) I take the same route to work most days, unless traffic is snarled. I add sugar and cream to my decaffeinated coffee before tasting it. I answer the phone, “This is Tim.” I pepper (but rarely salt) my food before the first bite. Question is, can we break old habits, and in the process become more interesting? English dramatist John Dryden may have said it best: “We first make our habits, then our habits make us.” Are we, then, the sum total of our habits, good or bad? Not necessarily. But what is needed is nothing short of an inner rebellion. Are you up to the challenge? Let’s say you wake up every morning at 7am. Set an alarm for 6:53 one day, 7:11 the next, and so on. Climb out of bed on the opposite side from where you fell asleep, even if it means steamrolling your partner. Better yet, slide off the end if you don’t have a footboard. If you do, jump up and down a few times, execute a perfect belly-flop, and spring off in whatever direction momentum takes you. Drench yourself liberally in the shower, turn off the water and soap yourself head-to-toe, then rinse joyfully (you’ll also save a lot of water!). Brush the inside of your teeth first. Leave your socks (or
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pantyhose) in the drawer, grab your most comfortable shoes, and go commando. Drive, better yet, walk or ride a bike to work, taking (as Robert Frost was fond of saying) a road less traveled by. Give your local barista free rein to make whatever cup of coffee he or she can dream up. Answer the phone, “This better be good!” Let the chef at a restaurant whip up the dish of his or her choosing for you. Believe me, somewhere deep down inside, your habitual creature will start getting very nervous. Now that you’ve begun dropping your old habits, it may be time to perform a little feng shui on your own (no pun intended) habitat. When you walk through your house, does it feel comfortable? Maybe a little too comfortable? That’s because our homes are literally homages to our habits. Does anyone actually live in your living room? How often do you dine in your dining room? We create these seldom-used spaces because we remember them from our childhood, where most of our habits were born. Try this: Take down every picture, every painting in your home and hang it in a new room. Make your dining room your living room and your living room your dining room. Better yet, make your living room a library, fill it with books you bought but never cracked open, and set aside time to read at least one book a month. Paint your front door a different color. Plant a tree in your backyard and nurture it until it blossoms or bears fruit or simply shades a new hammock. While you’re outside, dig a grave and bury your old habits. Replace your creatures of habit with creatures of creativity. Pretty soon, you’ll be on the path to An Unpredictable Life.