Help or Hinder?

Do your daily habits help or hinder you to be the kind of person you want to be?

Habits, the small actions that we do on a regular basis, can support and reinforce what is important to us. But  they can also  get in our way and keep us stuck. It’s important to recognize which daily habits are HELPING us, because then we can be  intentional about keeping them, expanding them or perhaps even adding other similar habits. It’s also important to recognize which daily habits are HINDERING us, because then we can be intentional about extinguishing them.

Examples of daily habits are endless:  Wake Early (or not), Exercise (or not), Make a “To-Do List” (or not), Check the News Headlines (or not), Connect with Nature (or not), Journal (or not), Read (or not), Meditate (or not), Go to Bed at a Reasonable Hour (or not). Eat Healthy (or not), etc.  Each of us has the power to choose habits that help us and to break  habits that hinder us.

A few years ago I signed up for “Bread for the Journey”, a free daily reflection sent to my e-mail from the Henri Nouwen Society. The words are waiting for me each morning and take only a few seconds to read. A great condiment to  morning coffee!  These reflections, full of wisdom and encouragement, often set the tone for how my day unfolds. They help keep me centered and focused on what really matters. Sipping them with a cup of hot coffee has become one of my favorite daily habits, a habit that helps me become the kind of person I want to be.

For example, here’s what was waiting for me this morning when I was feeling particularly overwhelmed after reading the morning paper:

 Our Unique Call

So many terrible things happen every day that we start wondering whether the few things we do ourselves make any sense. When people are starving only a few thousand miles away, when wars are raging close to our borders, when countless people in our own cities have no homes to live in, our own activities look futile. Such considerations, however, can paralyze us and depress us.

Here the word call becomes important. We are not called to save the world, solve all problems, and help all people. But we each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world. We have to keep asking God to help us see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out that call with trust. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time.

By the time I finished reading this particular reflection, my sense of overwhelm had disappeared.  I felt clear again, on who I am and the difference I can make in the world.  These daily reflections are definitely a HELPFUL habit for me!

Can you identify at least two daily habits that support what is important to you?  And at least two that hinder you from being the kind of person you want to be? Are there any new daily habits you want to develop?

If you are interested in receiving “Bread for the Journey”, visit HenriNouwen.org. Click “Resources”, then  “Meditations and Reflections”. Sign-up is easy and may help keep you fueled on your journey too!