Habit’s Power
Today I find myself doing a lot of cleaning in preparation for my impending move and I came across a copy of the Yahoo! Hotjobs section of the Daily News from October 4th. There George Gurney writes a section called Dear Headhunter, which is essentially an advise column, similar to the Dear Abbey columns I grew up with, except it’s focus is centered on jobs and careers. Anyways, I don’t usually keep these sections because they’re no longer as information packed as they once where – but on this day, I chose to keep it.
After sharing a quote by Jim Ryum, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.”, Mr Gurney encourages his readers to take a closer look at their habits and ask, are they positive or negative?
I know that I have many habits that I work at changing. Sometimes I’m successful, othertimes not so much. But the following poem that Mr. Gurney shared really made me think about the power that a positive, and a negative, habit can have over me. Here is it for you to read and hopefully to make you take a closer look at your own habits:
I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.
Half the things you do, you might as well turn over to me,
And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be firm with me.
Show me exactly how you want something done,
And after a few lessons I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great men
and, alas, of all failures as well.
Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work will all the precision of a machine
Plus the intelligence of a man.
You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin;
It makes no difference to me.
Take me, train me, be firm with me
And I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me, and I will destroy you.
Who am I?
I am HABIT!
-Author Anonymous
