Habits don't restrict freedom. They create it.
James Clear, page 46
Say what crazy lady? Isn't the old saying , we are slaves to our habits? Isn't spirituality all about breaking through our habit minds?
Yes and no. Yes, I am certainly crazy :) and yes that is the old saying. It is also true that spirituality is all about breaking through habitual mental tendencies that get in the way of us realizing who we truly are at the deeper level. But...no, not all habits are bad. Some habits can actually, when they become wholesome and automatic...like meditating every morning...or taking a deep breath, relaxing and opening your heart when a person is say, yelling at you...be very spiritual. When we practice a habit committedly and consistently, (and it is all about "practicing" and learning, and not about being perfect) the habit according to neuroscientists becomes automatic. It becomes something we can do without thinking about it or anlayzing it. This automatic response frees up the mind's time and energy to be focused on more important things (page 44-47)...like the next step of our spiritual development. Healthy habits can create enough space and freedom in our practice for us to grow.
With habit practice, we can learn to stop storing stuff inside so our insides are free to accept all Life has to offer. We can learn to develop the habit of "not closing" so we are free to stay open. We can learn to live without the fishbowl on our heads so we are free to expereince the amazing mystery on the other side.
All is well.
James Clear ( 2018) Atomic Habits. New York: Avery
Michael A. Singer (April 28, 2024) Freeing Consciousness from the fish Bowl of Mind Mind. https://tou.org/talks/
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