I recently read a story from the Sydney Morning Herald charting the transformation of a woman called Lexi Reed from a morbidly obese 230 kg in weight to a healthier, more active, and happier slim person. One of the secrets she says made this possible was “to focus on each day, not how far you have to go”.
My conclusion was that Lexi’s main obstacle was to break bad habits and exchange them for good ones. I used to be a smoker and, for years, figured that stopping would be difficult. I was spurred on by something my Uncle Phil said to me; “Show me someone who can change a habit and I will show you a master of the universe.”
One definition of “habit” I find to be enlightening calls it; “An acquired mode of behaviour that has become nearly or completely involuntary”. I realised there are far reaching implications when changing bad habits for good. On a physical level there are the well known bad habits such as drug dependency, alcoholism, smoking, and obesity. These are personal habits which can be tackled by individuals and, where I am in the U.K, health service professionals.
There are global problems which could be improved by the individual and collective breaking of bad habits. On a social level, discrimination such as racism, sexism, homophobia, and the marginalisation of minority groups. And on an economic level, the colossal financial indebtedness of poor developing countries and the general attitude of seize and conquer resulting in the exploitation of the planet’s natural resources and the destruction of pristine environments around the world.
Investing in better “good” habits can transform lives. Improved education, health provision, employment, and sustainable business will all require a re-evaluation of the traditional ways of doing things. We are constantly persuading our children to avoid bad habits but mustn’t ignore our collective responsibility for a world which needs change from within, from us all
I’m D.B.G (Dan Barnaby Goddard), a writer and recording artist based on Dartmoor in the West of the U.K. My songs are musical poems reflecting things I have seen and felt throughout my life and I’m always on the lookout for stories which reaffirm my trust in humanity and the human spirit.
In this Buzz column I seek out instances to fill in the spaces left by an increasingly corporate world, commenting on the unpredictable and heart warming gems which are created as the wheels of power keep turning round.
