At the risk of oversimplifying, overcoming bad habits is a whim away (..a whim away…a whim away…).

For real—not just a song! When we automatically respond in harmful anger, turn to substance abuse, binge-watch, grab comfort food, etc., these all have a trigger.

Flip a switch, the light goes on. Press a button, the machine starts up. Pull the trigger, the gun goes off. We say “pushing his buttons” for good reason.

Identify the trigger, the precipitating cause, and we’re on our way to winning the battle and vanquishing the bad habit.

In other words, we can push the (a) whim away!

Maybe it’s a person’s provoking tone or words that “press our buttons” and produce anger outbursts like hot acid spilling from a container that gets bumped.

Maybe it’s a hard day at work or failure that makes us want to escape into whatever we do to escape.

Maybe it’s something else that hurts, making us look for comfort in ways that actually destroy our physical or emotional health.

Whatever it is, it’s like a doctor’s little rubber mallet striking our knee in just the right place to cause a reflexive reaction—in this case, kicking up.

Once we know what that “mallet” is, where it’s coming from, and when, we have a choice. We can give in to the habitual reflexive reaction/action, or we can:

• Brace ourselves against it—the “knee” doesn’t “kick up”—we don’t go straight to the bottle, sleep, gaming, food, angry retorts, etc. Prepare ourselves for whatever triggers it so we can be ready to resist the trigger when it comes.
• Whenever possible, get away from the precipitating triggers—Make it easier on ourselves by avoiding situations that provoke the habit.
• Ultimately, intentionally replace the bad habit with a good one—Find, practice, and get used to healthier, better, ways to respond to setbacks, criticism, rejection, failure, etc.

That replacing takes time and effort, so we’ll need to do the bracing and avoiding until we develop better habits.

Easier said than done, certainly. Here’s one way to get it done, including motivating ourselves to make the effort to do it:

I’m not a brain scientist, but from what I’ve read, our brains form “neural pathways” from repeated thought patterns and responses. In that way, our minds are like horses. Horses (usually with the help of their rider) create or find a path they’re comfortable with that seems right. Then, they continue to choose and go down that path each time they come to it, because that’s what they did before. After a while, they automatically  “go down the beaten path”, without thinking. At this point, consideration and choice have disappeared, simplifying life and direction for the horse (and rider).

Just one problem—what if it’s the wrong path? What if the path leads to harm every time? Or what if the path started out ok but later became harmful? One would hope the horse (and rider) would choose a different path!

Yet, when it comes to our minds and thought patterns, that also create and go down “beaten paths”, the harm is hidden, and we don’t see it. Destructive and dangerous things on physical paths are much easier to notice—briars, brambles, ditches, quicksand, etc., are obvious. But self-pity, resentment, bitterness, sinful anger, lust, pride, envy, etc. are not. They’re either hidden, or camouflaged as beautiful and/or necessary elements along the trail.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way to death.” (Prov. 14:12)

That’s where self-examination comes in. Every time a thought comes into our mind and gets us started along a harmful pathway, ask ourselves—“why am I thinking this? And where is this leading to? What will happen if I continue thinking this way?”

What happens, first of all, is we develop a habit of thinking that way (i.e., thought patterns). Then, we develop a habit of acting on those thoughts. In other words, those bad habits of anger outbursts, addiction, escapism, unkind speech, laziness, etc.

Once we realize this, ask ourselves, “Do we want these results?” Hopefully not. Once we recognize bad habits by their harmful outcomes (broken relationships, physical and emotional illness, etc.), we have more motivation to change.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Ps. 139:23-24)

Now we’re willing and ready to create and follow a new path. That’s really hard, especially at first, with the old one so easy and automatic to follow! How can we? Step by step, choice by choice, different thought by different thought. Keep at it.

“…we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Cor. 10:5)

Someday that new way of thinking, being, and doing will become habitual. The good habit will become the “beaten path”. And the bad habit pattern, that old path, will become so overgrown from disuse our “horsey” minds won’t even turn down it. When it comes to those bad habits, we’ll become “nay-sayers”! (pun always intended).

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Phil. 4:8)

It’s our decision—how much are we willing to keep the (a) whim away, a whim away…?!