Good Habits Drive Out Bad Habits

October 19th, 2021

Since habit is such a powerful influence, and we’re used to pursuing our impulses to gain and avoid outside our own choice, we should set a contrary habit against that, and where appearances are really slippery, use the counterforce of our training.

- Epictetus in Discourses, 3.12.6

Replacing a bad habit with a good habit is not a novel idea. The challenge in my opinion requires that you first identify the bad habit, when you are participating in the bad habit, and then finding a good habit to replace the bad habit with.

For me, I might begin to procrastinate, but not recognize that I have been procrastinating for some time. The faster that I identify that I am participating in the bad habit, the faster I can employ the counterforce.

After reading this, I will need to try to identify my usually bad habits and put a plan of action in place to counter the bad habit with a good habit. This will not be a one time discovery, as bad habits can develop over time, so reviewing my habits should be an ongoing process.