“Sow a thought, and you reap an act; Sow an act, and you reap a habit; Sow a habit, and you reap a character;
Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”― Samuel Smiles,
When any habit has been well formed by repetition of thought and action, the mind attaches itself to and follows that habit as closely as possible. When a habit has been formed it becomes a force which in due course, will always regulate the individual’s life. It has been well said that “all men are the creatures of habit.” This means a habit is a cable; we weave a thread of it each day and it becomes so strong that we cannot break it. Warren Buffet said, “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.”
Once a habit is well formed, it becomes a cruel tyrant, it rules and compels a person to act against their will and desires. The good news though is that this mighty force can be harnessed and set to work for us, instead of being slave to it and serving it faithfully though complaining. Like any other thing, to harness or control it, you firstly need to understand its fundamental principles.
A habit is a mental path over which our actions have travelled for some time, each passing making the path a little deeper and a little wider. If you have to walk over a field or through a forest, you know how natural it is for you to choose the clearest path in preference to the less treaded ones. It all starts with a thought and the question we should ask ourselves is, “how and what feeds our thoughts?” Well, our thoughts are fed by the surrounding environment. The term ‘environment’ covers a very broad field. Environment consist of books we read, the people with whom we associate, the community in which we live, the lifestyle in which we are engaged, the country or nation in which we reside and most important of all, the religion and intellectual training we receive prior to the age of fourteen.
The importance of analysing the subject of environment is to show its direct relationship to the personality we are developing. The mind feeds upon that which we supply it, or that which is forced upon it, through our environment. Therefore, let every positive individual select their environment, as far as possible, with the intention of supplying the mind with suitable materials which will help make them a success in life. If your environment is not to your liking, change it, you’ve the power to do so!
Your daily associates, that is, the people you meet and move with constitute one of the most important and influential parts of your environment, and may work for your progress or your retrogression, according to the nature of those associations. Remember that every word spoken within your hearing, everything that reaches your eyes, and every sense impression that you receive through any of the five senses, influences your thought as surely as the sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
Now, you can see the power of your environment and how your thoughts are fed. You can now see the importance of reading books that deal with subjects which are directly related to your dreams for life. Can you now see the importance of talking with people who are in sympathy with your aims, and, who will encourage you and spur you on toward your visions and aspirations? So, be very careful of your surrounding environment, it has the unbelievable power to nourish your thoughts with either quality or substandard materials that will ultimately make you the person you’ll become.
Veli Ndaba is a Professional and Motivational Speaker, Life-Coach and Neuro Linguistic Programming Practitioner, Author of three books (You Are Born to Win, Your Dream is Calling You and SWITCH ON!), Newspaper Columnist and Entrepreneur. To book him to speak at your next event or to help you and your team unleash your greatness, contact him on veli@velindaba.com , www.velindaba.com or +27 83 304 9773