Watch your words for they become actions. Watch your actions for they become habits.”
This was taken from Margaret Thatcher’s quote. To this day, it remains a mystery how we get set in our ways and why bad habits are so hard to break. If this were a simple matter, problems like obesity, drug addiction and destructive behavior can be solved with hardly a second thought. Habit is defined by Merriam
Webster as a “routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur unconsciously”. Habitual behavior often goes unnoticed by the persons exhibiting it. These individuals fail to analyze their thoughts and behaviors, and through repetition, these actions become automatic and routine. Old habits are hard to break and new habits are hard to form because repeated behavioral patterns become imprinted in our neural pathways. It is however possible to form new habits through repetition. This process by which new behaviors are formed is called habit formation. Goals guide habits by providing the initial outcome-oriented motivation for response repetition. The influence of goals on habits is what makes a habit different from other automatic processes in the mind. When a bad habit is seen practiced by influential people such as senators and congressmen, judges and generals, actors or even our own parents, these become a negative example for everyone especially the young. When bad habits are practiced en masse, people become accustomed to these behaviors. What was once unacceptable becomes acceptable. Soon, this disease spreads like rot in a basket of tomatoes. Bad habits can become a culture. A worrisome example of this is the putrid spirit of lies, cheating, stealing and corruption that has invaded all branches of our government from the smallest to the topmost levels. Our bastion of governance has become a haven for thieves and liars. After years of frustration with the rampant corruption in the country and the rise of poverty in the nation, I began to search for a cause. Could it be a problem with Nutrition? Is it a lack of national pride? Do we as a people innately lack discipline? Or is all of this and much more? Whatever the reason may be, I realized that we have dug ourselves into a deep hole and it was time to climb out. I believe that we need a national awakening, a desire for change rather than a revolution. We have to start somewhere and fast. I fervently believe that our tribulations as a people are caused by bad habits which we have inculcated and allowed to permeate into our culture. And this is why the Good Habits Movement was born. The Good Habits Movement is a non-profit, non-political and non-religious civic organization. It aims to influence a positive change in our lives and eventually in our country. Vision:
Filipinos, here and abroad practicing and promoting good habits:
Good habits being taught at home (in a practical, creative and interesting way)Good habits being taught in primary schools and colleges (in a practical, creative and interesting way)
Good habits being regularly posted in the media: print, radio, television, internet (in a practical, creative and interesting way)
Mission:
The Good Habits Movement is a non-profit, non-religious and non-political organization with the following goals:
1. Make people aware of good habits and bad habits
2. Educate people in good and bad habits and promote the practice of good habits
3. Make a positive change in our life, in others’ lives and in the country
Our country’s hope depends on us
Success in achieving change will come from us
for We are our Habits
Juan “Jim” P. Sanchez, Jr., M.D. Founder, Good Habits Movement
www.mabutinggawi.com
www.facebook.com/goodhabits.ph
