Ratanjit's Advice - Habits

Question: How do habits play a role in our life and how does one go about changing our bad habits and taking on good habits?

Answer: Habits are fundamentally our operating software. Our habits allow us to put our human operating system on autopilot and we begin to do things because of our habits rather then what is right or required. In other words we are what our habits are. Once we come into a habit it becomes a struggle to get rid of or change it. For us to change our habits we have to first understand and comprehend the universal Truth, which reveals our true purpose of our existence on this earth and gives us clarity of thought and wisdom to cultivate right habits. Otherwise, in spite all our efforts our old habits always raise their ugly heads.

Old habits are very hard to break even if we pick at one segment of our habit at a time. It is like this: if you take the letter ‘H’ out of the word HABIT , ‘ambit’ is still left behind. If you take letters ‘H’ and ‘A’ from the word ‘HABIT’ ‘bit’ is still left behind. If you go further and take out letters ‘H’, ‘A’ and ‘B’ out of the word ‘HABIT’, you are still left with ‘it’. It is only when you get rid of the letter ‘I’ (which stands for 'I' or 'Me' which is our ‘EGO’) that you discover the TRUTH hidden in the last letter ‘T’ of the word ‘HABIT’.

Basically the only way to take control of our life is to control our habits....our habits of thinking ,our habits of working, our habits of responding, our habits of expectations, our habits of accepting and in a nut shell our habits of living itself. All our good habits get planted in us automatically once we begin to live the Truth. The Truth that is referred here is the truth of ONENESS paradigm, which basically means that there is only ONE and we and every thing that we see and touch or think is an integral part of this ONE. Once you fully understand this truth and begin to live it in every living moment of your life, you will take on habits that are in total compliance with this truth. Your purpose of breathing, living, and working gets aligned with this Truth.

In essence once we realize that we are an inseparable part of everything that exists around us, it becomes clear that our only real purpose of this life is to serve that ONE by adding highest value to its parts that surround us. When we live in ONENESS, we begin to focus on adding the highest value in every thought, in every action and in every endeavor.

Now, let us take some examples:

There are people who have a habit of exploding or getting very angry at the slightest of criticism or bad remark. We should ask how we can add the highest value in this circumstance rather than getting upset. This thought process will give you control on your anger, and focuses on adding the highest value.

Similarly your habit of worrying comes from your false assumption that you own things such as your home, your car, your cloths, your spouse, your children and even your very own human body. Therefore, you are always worried about losing them. Whereas, the wisdom of the ONENESS paradigm says that we literally own nothing. Everything including our own human body is simply gifted to us to carry out our mission to add the highest value to everyone around us , one person and one project at a time. This thought process would take your mind off the worry path and refocuses it on its true mission of making a difference through adding value to every situation that you encounter.

The habit of lying and cheating comes from the assumption that no one else will find out the truth. Whereas, the wisdom of ONENESS will clearly make it visible that truth is always known to the bigger ONE. It is like.. if your right hand may be able to hide something from your left hand, but the body they are attached to always knows what the right hand is doing at every living moment. Therefore, when we live in this ONNESS paradigm we simply cannot carry the habit of lying or cheating even when no one is watching.

In summary, it will take a lifetime to remove our bad habits, but it will merely take a moment of enlightenment that will reveal the TRUTH of ONENESS and all the right habits will begin to come out of you.

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