Practice makes permanent

"The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken."

~Samuel Johnson

"Practice makes perfect." tends to be a household quote. To be more precise, "Perfect practice makes perfect." 

But what about: "Practice makes permanent."?

Repeat anything (good or bad) frequently enough and soon it can be done automatically - on auto-pilot if you will. Given the right trigger or cue and reward, the behaviour happens without conscious thought or control - as when I put away the dish on the counter that my husband was just about to use. Gotta have the counter spotless ;)  It's "hard-wired" into my brain. Easier to do on auto-pilot.

"Neurons that fire together, wire together."

~ Donald Hebb 1940's

Physically, as we learn something new, we wire together brain cells needed to activate the behaviour, creating a new pathway that can easily be accessed again. The brain physically changes. A well worn path is set. Neuroscientists refer to this as "plasticity" and twenty first century research reveals that our brains can continue to grow at any age. We bundle and physically reinforce the brain cells needed to activate the new skill or behaviour.

Imagine if every time we stepped into the driver's seat, we had to think about each movement executed, as does a first time driver!

We would not thrive if we had to think carefully before executing everything we do throughout the day. But mindfulness - focusing on the task at hand - helps, when it becomes essential to change habits that no longer serve us well.

Sadly, sometimes it takes a traumatic event to realize we may have self-limiting thoughts, beliefs and habits - precursors to our demise. 

Once identified, initially we have to consciously choose to change the thought, belief and behaviour. Effort and willpower is required. Avoiding the trigger (ex. location, people) becomes essential. Replacing the old habit with a better habit, that provides a healthier reward, is warranted. 

While the chains of habit may have become strong, they are far from impossible to break. Awareness helps create change. Practice need not always make permanent. With conscious awareness, and a change in environment, we can re-wire the brain. It starts with identifying and changing our self-limiting thoughts and beliefs. And while it can be difficult to teach an old dog a new trick, with some effort we can overcome addiction, obsession and repetitive behaviours. We can continue to learn, grow and transform - become better versions of ourselves.

What we believe we achieve.