DRIVING OUT BAD NAILS
A teacher who was lecturing on habits told his class, "Anything you repeat twenty times is yours forever."
From the back of the classroom
came a whispered voice, "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…." Of course, what the teacher was trying to say is that any behavior, often repeated, becomes habit.
The Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus once said, "A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit." And if I understand him right, he suggests that saying no to a bad habit is not enough. Instead, we should try to replace it with a good one. Repeat the new behavior twenty times … and it is yours.
If any behavior, good or bad, is often repeated, it becomes stronger and more powerful. "Since habits become power, make them work for you and not against you," said E. Stanley Jones. In other words, drive out the undesirable nail, the behavior you'd like to change, with a better
one.
One woman did just that after lamenting to her friend, "I hate being late. It has been a problem for me all of my life."
"Do you really want to change that habit?" her friend asked. The woman said that she did and her friend responded, "All right. Every time you're late for work or anywhere else, then give me $25."
"I'd go broke!" she said. "But I'll do $10."
"It's got to hurt," said the friend.
"Believe me, that will hurt," the woman replied. They agreed that the money should be deposited in a jar and used for charity.
In the first week, the habitually tardy woman made a concerted effort to plan ahead and she only paid $10 to her friend. The next week, $20. The third week, none at all. By week five, she had built a strong habit of leaving early, and her new behavior replaced the old pattern of tardiness that had hindered her for so long. She drove out one nail with another one. And she found freedom.
If you're like me, there is a bad nail you want to remove. Today is a good day to pick up a better nail and start using it.
from Your Life Support
~ Steve Goodier
A teacher who was lecturing on habits told his class, "Anything you repeat twenty times is yours forever."
From the back of the classroom
came a whispered voice, "Sarah, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah…." Of course, what the teacher was trying to say is that any behavior, often repeated, becomes habit.
The Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus once said, "A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit." And if I understand him right, he suggests that saying no to a bad habit is not enough. Instead, we should try to replace it with a good one. Repeat the new behavior twenty times … and it is yours.
If any behavior, good or bad, is often repeated, it becomes stronger and more powerful. "Since habits become power, make them work for you and not against you," said E. Stanley Jones. In other words, drive out the undesirable nail, the behavior you'd like to change, with a betterone.
One woman did just that after lamenting to her friend, "I hate being late. It has been a problem for me all of my life."
"Do you really want to change that habit?" her friend asked. The woman said that she did and her friend responded, "All right. Every time you're late for work or anywhere else, then give me $25."
"I'd go broke!" she said. "But I'll do $10."
"It's got to hurt," said the friend.
"Believe me, that will hurt," the woman replied. They agreed that the money should be deposited in a jar and used for charity.In the first week, the habitually tardy woman made a concerted effort to plan ahead and she only paid $10 to her friend. The next week, $20. The third week, none at all. By week five, she had built a strong habit of leaving early, and her new behavior replaced the old pattern of tardiness that had hindered her for so long. She drove out one nail with another one. And she found freedom.
If you're like me, there is a bad nail you want to remove. Today is a good day to pick up a better nail and start using it.
from Your Life Support
~ Steve Goodier
WISHING EVERYONE
A WONDERFUL UPCOMING WEEKEND!!!!
That is good advice. May you have a wonderful weekend as well.
ReplyDeleteI've been hammering away constantly...
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
you sure "nailed" this blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rita... hope it includes some more of your pictures!!!
ReplyDeleteMe too, Chuck, and still so many nails to go!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
ROFL... as ususal KK you started my day out with a good laugh!!! Big Smile... hope you are taking it easy after the big week at your house! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteKeep on hammering. Need some more nails? I got plenty. I once won a nail driving contest against a nail machine. I won!!!! The machine malfunctioned,true.
ReplyDeleteGood advice Linda!
ReplyDeleteNo thanks, Nick, have plenty of my own ~ lol ~ guess you get to replace yours!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mia... so good to see you ~ like I said hope you have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteso " hit the nail on the head?" teehee
ReplyDeleteomg. tardiness. am the queen of tardiness. i still believe to be fashionably late and koreans are so wanting to kill me most of the times. i hate it but i just can't help it. oh well.
ReplyDeleteperhaps i should talk to my housemate's daughter and give her ten cents every time i am late. hope that works.
you have a lovely weekend as well!
Oh, and what? That isn't true??? We woman shouldn't be fashionably late????
ReplyDeleteOh no, I have another nail to replace!!!!
i was told many times. lol. it's not fashionable to be late anymore.
ReplyDeletebut making others wait is fun. ha ha ha. i'm mean. i know.
No, not mean ~ just really cute!!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteawww!!!
ReplyDeleteam going to bed, enjoy your day!
it's almost lunchtime there!
its 1 am here. ha!
need to polish those habits?
ReplyDeletepersistence in overcoming the bad habits is the key for me
ReplyDeletewonderful advice!! Now if I can only take it to action. LOL on the Bad Habit song, and the cartoon!!
ReplyDelete..reminds me..I need to get hammered..soon
ReplyDeleteGood, it takes a lot of will power though.
ReplyDeleteGood Ideal, and those nails too!!! ROFLMBO!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWe're continuous works of art, aren't we... you are right... persistence is the key!
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny, because when I saw the cartoon I thought it was like one that you would find!
ReplyDeleteOMG, Heather, don't we all! Love your Icon... those toes and those shoes!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou are so right Giles... we have a live time to work on it though! So good to see you!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL.... ok so I need about a pound of ten-penny nails!!!!!
ReplyDeleteOkay, now you will never get me to believe that one ~ you of all people!
ReplyDeletelol..difficult to run in when youre being chased by a Mad Cow ...
ReplyDeleteWell I figure if I put them all in the same hole~~~ eventually ONE of them is gonna pierce that pack of cigarettes!!!!! LOL
ReplyDeletetryin to think of a good habit besides eating to replace my smoking habit....hhhmmmm...I could think of one...giggle..but Wes would have to agree..giggle..
ReplyDeleteoooh am I bad! giggle.
ReplyDeleteis nailbiting a bad habit?
ReplyDelete....but I'm comfortable with all my bad habits....they make me ...me
ReplyDeleteGood advice. Linda! Now I know what to do with hubby's bad habits... heehee!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Hugs!
Eating a bad habit ~ NEVER if it includes Chocolate!
ReplyDeleteDon't think you will run into any problem there... hehe And yes, you are bad!!!!
ReplyDelete(But you know what they say... "when she was bad, she was very very good!!!!")
Looks like not much fun... but a bad habit ~ I think that would depend who you ask!!!
ReplyDeleteUniquely you and we wouldn't want it any other way!!!!
ReplyDeleteyour title is driving out bad nails, this one is driving in bad nails lol
ReplyDeleteI think he is the one that has do drive out the bad nails ~ LOL ~ Hope you both have a great weekend!!!
ReplyDeleteLOL at the cartoon!
ReplyDeleteI believe this story is very true. I once read that if you want to make a new habit become your standard behavior, you will have to continue with this habit for 21 days. During that time it will be an effort to do so, after that time it has become part of your lifestyle, not having to thing twice about it. I guess those 21 days amount to about the same as repeating 20 times. I think this is hopeful for changing habits. 21 days doesn't seem like a long period to change a habit and after that it's no new habit any more...