In the middle of the United States where I live, the summer heat can be brutal. Most people who are not familiar with the midwestern part of the country tend to be surprised that we get the two extremes of temperatures each year.
It can be as hot as 100°F (roughly 37.8°C) in July/August during the peak of summer. Yet, roughly 6 months later during the coldest of winter, high daily temperatures can dip to 0°F (-17.8°C) or less. Factor in the wind chills and you could turn into a popsicle within a few minutes if you get caught outside in those frigid temperatures.
For those of us who live in the suburbs, our lawns usually take a beating during those summer months of insane heat. The luscious green turns into a field of dry, bristle brown grass. Last week, as I surveyed my yard, I couldn't help but notice a few patches of green in some spots. Closer examinations reveal what those green patches were.
Weeds!
I'm one person who is fastidious about ensuring that things stay where they belong. And I definitely don't think weeds belong on my lawn. So, I tend to follow a strict regimen of weeding and feeding my lawn each year.
But no matter how much effort I put into it, a few of the weeds would simply not go away. You get rid of them in one spot and they sprout up in another. The most perplexing of it all is that even during the summer heat when most of the grass is dying from thirst, the few weeds tend to thrive and blossom.
A few days ago, I went around the yard, manually uprooting the weeds within my field of vision. As I did this, I couldn't help but think about the ones I couldn't get to because of time. I hadn't planned on pulling out weeds at that time, I just couldn't stand the thought of leaving them there any longer.
I also wondered about how long it would be before they grow back.
Soon, this got me thinking about habits and how they're so difficult to get rid of once they are formed. Also, for some reason, it seems bad, unwanted habits tend to form easily, just like those weeds. They creep in unawares and before you know it, they’ve taken over your life.
Do you pay attention to those things you tend to do repeatedly without much thought? That's basically what habits are. And because we don't think really into those behaviors, we most likely do not recognize whether or not they're serving us.
My challenge for you this week is that you simply begin paying attention to your habits. I'm sure you've probably developed a few good ones. Do you know what they are? What benefits do they bring you?
Take stock and identify the benefits you get from your good habits.
What about the bad ones? Do you have any of those? If you can't think of any, I suggest you ask those closest to you - that's if you're brave enough. Most of us don't like others pointing out our bad habits. But I think you'll be doing yourself a world of good if you embrace this from time to time and ask those who know you best.
After all, you can't begin to change something if you don't know how it's impeding your progress. And I'm sure you don't want anything to cut short your life’s success.
Do you?