Re-engineering bad habits

Eric Herrenkohl's email came at a perfect time. It reminded me of George Rich's lecture from back in my Anthropology days when he said that every action has a process leading up to it. Take smoking for example. We smoke when we are in a bar. Or stressed. Or drinking. Or when we have too much down time on our hands. We don't ever stop smoking because there are too many external stepping stones that lead to it. However, if we change the order of things (the processes that lead to the action) we find that the outcome is different. It's logical. If I don't go to a bar, I don't smoke. If I keep myself busy, I don't smoke. The challenge is managing the processes that create negative output.

Eric's article sent a similar message and concluded with, "Pay attention to the setting, situation, and environments in which you thrive and spend more time there. Re-engineer the circumstances that play into weakness. You have to consciously set yourself up to succeed."

We know ourselves best and need to take control of our lives. Step one is identifying the output that needs to change and backtracking the process. Then comes the re-engineering. We can't just bandage the festering wound. We need to kill the infection too.