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Great post, Michael :-)
Here`s another short anecdote on changing thought patterns. When I was
younger, I got interested in handwriting analysis---graphology. One
thing stood out, regarding crossing the letter "T" in our writing.
The location of the crossbar references our tendency toward planning,
details, and patience. If the crossbar is ahead of the vertical, the
person tends to be impatient, thinking into the future, not
particularly focused on the details of the moment.
However; what really caught my attention after I noticed that I had the
crossbar way past the vertical bar, is that you can change the way you
write and it`ll change the way you think!
I tried it, focusing on the detail of the crossbar, and by gosh if it
began to affect my whole life. I was consciously thinking about how I
wrote (back then it was mostly by hand), and always looking at the
crossbar of the "T." The habit took hold, and I began focusing on all
sorts of other very tiny details.
The bottom line is that everything is related. If you change your
physical habits, you`ll often change your mental habits. Likewise, if
you envision a different mental way of being, it will cascade outward
into your physical life.
Habits are fascinating things. They`re a function of how certain
cellular and chemical materials are attracted to, and surround the
nerves and synapses of the brain. Repeated action and thought builds a
sheath around a particular set of connections, much like putting
insulation around wires.
The strongest habits are the ones with the thickest sheath. Creating a
habit is usually as simple as focusing on the desire, then doing a few
repetitions. It`s like Tai Chi and other martial arts: You learn a set
of actions very, very slowly. Then you speed it up slowly, and teach
your body how to act without thought.
So too, if you take it very slowly, step by step, you can create a new
habit within only a few days. Breaking a habit isn`t so easy, but it
works pretty much the same way---slow, focused attention, repeated a
number of times.
