Page 20 - Book5E

12
Why We Spend
and expected him to study. They weren’t looking for straight A’s; they just hoped he would do his best. But he hasn’t been doing that, and he may fail the midterm exam.
The guilt, shame, anxiety, and fear that James feels are dark clouds that have blotted out any happiness. James wants to numb the pain, so he goes on a shopping spree. The pleasure of his new purchases disappears when the shopping bills arrive. He’s more depressed than before and feels even less like studying.
The intrusion of bad habits in our lives is something like this. For the most part, we stumble into bad habits. We don’t mean to adopt bad or damaging behavior. That’s why we have to be alert and evaluate our behavior on a regular basis and take corrective action when it’s needed. Good habits are developed through conscious effort on our part. Once we form a habit, it stays with us. The good news is that good habits are just as difficult to break as bad habits. All of our habits combined create our character, so they can be our best friends or worst enemies.
Do you want to achieve success and avoid failure? Success and failure are simply habits.
Motivation is the ignition that gets us started on the road to success and good habits are the fuel that keeps us making progress. Just as bad habits that aren’t corrected can lead you downward, good habits get stronger and lead you upward. Each good habit you develop helps you focus on bigger and better things.
Think First
A woman stood in the checkout line at the grocery store with a very sensible selection of products arrayed on the conveyor belt. She watched as the cashier scanned each item. Then she turned to her right and grabbed a plastic box of mints from one of those at-the-register candy displays and added it to her purchase. Do you think she planned