Ben Franklin wrote, in his 20s, good intentions are not enough when it comes to resolutions. “Habits take advantage of inattention…The contrary habit must be broken and the good ones acquired and established before we can have an dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct.”
Franklin was saying that we must break old habits before acquiring new ones. This suggests that to-do lists, resolutions and goals are often doomed unless we face what is holding our old habits in place. We must work to county old habits if we hope to adopt new ones.
For example, if we wish to lose 30 pounds, we must adopt new habits of diet and exercise. But first we must examine all the habits that made us 30 pounds heavier, then break each of those habits, one by one.
~BevMacLean.com
