Goals:
It is a valuable thing to have clear, positive aims in life, destinations on our journey.
A goal to work towards gives us the structure and direction essential to arrival at success.
This is true whether or not we actually attain to the goal.
Systems:
However, regular systems that develop positive habits that will lead us in the direction of those goals can actually be of greater value than simply setting goals.
Regularity and repetition in our behaviour causes actual physical changes in our brains, and thus our minds.
The areas of the brain and the neurons that we employ grow and strengthen with this use, like muscles responding to exercise.
In this way we create and develop positive habits.
Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra lays out the principles of a classical system.
Positive habits:
Positive habits are the vehicle by which progress is achieved.
They give us the means to move forward towards where we want to be.
They are like a bicycle, efficiently supporting us to move speedily along the path to our destination.
In developing these we will likely find that our more “negative” habits will weaken and disappear without direct attention to them.
We cultivate the positives, the negatives fade of their own accord.
The most important habit to nurture is that of “turning-up”.
The more we do this the easier and more established the developing of positive habits becomes.
And, inevitably, step-by-step, we progress.
We can aim for the perfection of the Buddha, Enlightenment, Perfect Freedom, etc, but need not be disappointed should we not achieve them just yet.
The effort to attain them has improved us.
Some examples of positive habits:
- Getting a good night’s sleep and getting up early
- Walking
- Eating fresh fruit and vegetables
- Conscious breathing
- Meditation
References;
“Goals are not something necessarily to be achieved.
They give us something to aim at.”
Bruce Lee