Hollow habits

Sometimes we can find ourselves "going through the motions" of a certain habit or activity, without really knowing why we do it. We continue to do something we began years ago, which served a purpose then, but now seems pointless and futile. We've somehow lost track of our progress and now might need to "catch up with ourselves" again.

These "hollow habits" can be harmless, but others can take a significant negative toll on our outlook and attitude.

Some of the more obvious habits people often talk about involve smoking, drinking, and eating for example.

But what about more subtle habits than this?

For example chiding yourself or calling yourself names when something doesn't go quite as you expect?

Or going straight in and putting on the TV when you get home, before considering what else you might like to do?

The most difficult part of these hollow habits is that they sometimes are so subtle that we don't realise we're doing them.

Consider for a moment your life, and all the things you do without question, literally the things you do "just out of habit". What purpose do they serve, how do they positively contribute to your life? Are any of these now out of date and hollow? Artifacts from a previous incarnation of yourself, that's no longer relevant or accurate?

By first recognising and then replacing these hollow habits with ones that are more useful and beneficial to the person we are now, we can begin to catch up with ourselves as we are now, and be more authentic and at peace with ourselves in the way we live.