This article is guest posted by James Blogger.
I define thought habits, a.k.a. mental habits, as being thought trails that you regularly (as in habitually) travel down. An example of a thought habit you might have may be accidentally leaving it too late to indicate while driving, or interrupting others’ conversations. Annoying thought habits can be accidentally developed through our lives, but we can also purposefully develop habits that can benefit us and improve our lives.
In these past few months, I’ve concentrated on building up three major thought habits:
1. I have as much right as everybody else
I used to be a pushover. Not in your regular, considerate way, but more your “oh, it’s ok if my living is somehow harming you; I’ll just go kill myself” way. Believe me, it was not a great way to be. So I started to consciously continually follow three simple steps in my life to develop my thought habit that allows me to stand up for myself and be assertive:
- Define what is aggressive or rude, define what is wrongly weak, and pick the assertive alternative to the two.
- Closely observe the consequent events
- Review if what I did was right
Eventually this pattern set in as being habitual, and today, several months later, I am a much more assertive person, and am so much happier because of it.
2. Keeping tidy
This may sound strange, but your parents were right when they said you should keep your room tidy; it does make a real difference. I’ve always lived messily, but I’ve found that cleaning up my work area (that could mean your office, room, house, wherever you’re working and/or living) is great at clearing your head, allowing you do think clearer and more concisely. It greatly improves your productivity because you become more focused.
But it’s not just a “I’ll clean up now and then” thing, you really do have to drill it into your mind to have a place for everything, and when you take something from its place to put it back. Coming for a background of being a messy kid, it’s been surprisingly difficult; but I do believe I’ve (somewhat) mastered this in the past few months. It has really helped me, and it can also help you.
3. If I want to be treated as special, I need to treat others as being special
All of the major religions in the world – Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, etc. – have the same golden rule. “Treat others how you want to be treated”. This rule plays true in all areas of life… and is able to be played with. Other universal rules (“what goes around, comes around”, the theory of Karma, yin/yang) are also very similar, with the same general message; your life is only as good as you make it.
Take advantage of it, I say! Be good to the world, and you will feel all the better for it.
James Blogger loves to blog about the internet and life and how to “do well with it”. He’s a rookie web designer, and general all-round observer of the internet. James Blogger believes that good things come to those who work for them.
Great post James! I really struggle with number 2. I am a messy person, and I think that has a lot to do with my being unorganized :(
Agree with what James says.
Just to add it helps being positive in your outlook of live as it does help me to keep my emotions/thoughts in check and be disciplined to hold out till I get my desired results.
pretty good point.. i wish i can do that all///
hmmm, you have pointed out some important things!!!!
TOTALLY true about keeping the room clean! Not only am I more productive- I sleep better and overall have a better attitude.
Its totally strange and and can be so hard to keep up with the cleaning – but its worth it!
Not only am I more productive
and Improve our life it’s not only about money
it’s about fun…
People use money to make fun
Right :-)
All this is true, the strange thing is that sometimes I am kind of messy person and on the other hand I hate when everything around me is so messy that I can’t find the phone. But every time when I clean and have some order in the office my father make it all the mess again and again. I can’t buy new things because he like the old one, I can’t trow broken things because “we can use the for parts” , oh I forgot to mention that I he is my boss. I hate to work for my father. What I can do.