Habitualizing
I realize these words have been translated into a variety of languages and are being read around the world in newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Each week the Winners’ Wisdom column comes to life as I dictate my thoughts to one of my talented colleagues who types them into the computer. Our English language, in a lot of cases, has far too many words, but then, on occasion, we can find thoughts or ideas that have no corresponding term. If you look up the title of this week’s column, “habitualizing” in your handy dictionary, you will probably find that the word doesn’t exist, but I believe that it should.
Mark Twain often said, “It is perfectly acceptable to use improper grammar if you know that it ain’t proper.” While the word habitualizing may not exist in that form, it should exist in our lives. Since I am making up the word, I feel the freedom to make up the definition. If habitualizing ever appears in the dictionary, the definition should read, “the process of turning random, routine tasks into habits.
As a blind person myself, you’ll be pleased to know that I do not drive a car. However, in four of the movies based on my various novels, I have appeared in a brief cameo role as a limo driver. In writing several of the novelizations of those films—which are the book versions of the movie stories—I’ve had to write down the details of how to drive a car. I asked a number of friends, family members, and colleagues to detail the process of getting into the car and backing out of the driveway. The consensus of all of their input boiled down to “get in the car, put it into reverse, and back out into the street.” This leaves out little details like opening the car door, putting on the seatbelt, putting the key into the ignition, looking into the rearview mirror, putting your foot on the brake as you shift into reverse, etcetera.
The people I asked about the procedure to back out of the driveway weren’t lying to me or trying to mislead me. They have simply gone through the process of habitualizing the act of driving an automobile. Actually, we live in a far safer world on our streets and highways because drivers don’t have to think about each step of the process.
We all know things we should be doing in our personal, professional, financial, physical, and spiritual lives that would make us more successful. Struggling with the details will leave us frustrated and performing below our potential. Habitualizing all of the details and elements will bring us great success. If you will create habits around diet and exercise, saving and investing, studying and learning, along with every other priority in your life, you will make progress at a pace you have never experienced.
As you go through your day today, eliminate conscious thoughts and put your subconscious to work.
Today’s the day!