"We first make our habits then our habits make us" John Dryden
Brain research has shown that our brain is not hard-wired but malleable. While the central nervous system is the hardware, its operation is more comparable to software. As such it can be updated and even replaced. However, unlike a computer, changes in our mind do not occur instantly but incrementally. This change can come about by cultivating habits.
Habits such as meditation and reflection and most important of all, habits involving action, gradually bring about changes in the way we think and act. It is essential that we live our lives by acting, not by thinking about acting. Thus our habits make us.
The Jesuit saying `give me the child until he is seven and I will show you the man', is only true to a point. The habits laid down in childhood do make us, but we can continue to remake ourselves if we are determined to do so. This may take a lifetime but it nevertheless gives hope.
What changes do you want to make in your life? What habits do you need to cultivate to initiate this change?
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