A Word On " The Ego:Taking Control"

A habit is a behaviour plan or tendency that we develop from repeated exposure to certain types of situations. One benefit is obvious: there are many times when by following the dictates of habit we are spared having to devote conscious energy to a task (for example, choosing what to eat at a restaurant).

Habit also has another important quality: it allows your Ego to take control in a situation where it would otherwise have a difficult time. For example, if you have formed the habit of eating a small piece of cake when it is offered, you will be able to enjoy desert more than if you suffer from pangs of conscience (from your Superego which might want you to forgo the cake completely), or from unrealistic desire (from your Id which wants to indulge).

Habit can be a lever which allows your Ego to exercise control beyond its usual strength. However, as we all know, habits can sometimes act against our long-range self-interests (for example, smoking cigarettes).

Habits seem to have a strength of their own. To make or break a habit requires significant psychic effort. These two traits, viz. that habits can be both helpful and harmful, and that they can, through effort, be formed or broken, leads us to our next important point: you must learn the skills of controlling your habits. And by controlling habits I mean not only breaking them, but forming them.

These skills are among the most important in life, and yet receive so little attention. Coming to terms with habit is a slow process. To do so, you need to realize that most habits are not unchangeable. Rather, they are patterns of behaviour that you have learned. You can both learn new habits and break old ones if you want.

But habits possess great psychic strength and they are neither easily created nor easily destroyed. They are powerful and you must be prepared to devote time and effort to their cultivation. The way to form a habit is to practice repeatedly. There is no easy way. This does not mean that the process must be unpleasant, although sometimes unavoidably it will be so.

People often follow patterns of behaviour that were set when they were young. It is important to identify habits that are not appropriate. You must set aside moments of contemplation and analyse your behaviour, identifying those facets that are against your self-interest and those patterns that would work towards it. Then you must practice the behaviour that you wish to become second nature. You must commit yourself to it ... read more ...