Recently, we have been working with my daughter on trying to get her to stop sucking her thumb. She is using a thumb guard that is really helping, but like any bad habit, it has been hard for her.
The other day I told Robynn that my worst habit is eating late at night. It is like clockwork; as soon as I put the kids to bed I’m off to the kitchen searching for a sweet treat. Whether it was college or even my childhood, eating a dessert to end the day was very much the norm!
Then it dawned on me. Why do I expect Leanne to break a habit that she has had her entire life, yet I make an excuse for not breaking mine? Is it because hers is only 5 years of a bad habit and mine is 30? I guess the number of years shouldn’t matter, since for each of us it equates to be our ENTIRE lives!
I talked to Leanne and told her I was going to work on breaking my bad habit too. It has been challenging for both of us, but I know that we will benefit from it. Putting myself in her shoes also makes me more sympathetic towards what she is going through. Before, I would always get frustrated and lose patience when she wasn’t making progress. It wasn’t until I tried to stop my habit that I did a better job working with her. Not to mention, seeing her work hard helps me work even harder when I have moments of weakness!
Is there something you expect of others yet you don’t expect of yourself? Nothing probably comes to mind right away but some time and self-reflection may shed some light on bad habits we can improve in our own lives. Oh….it can be so humbling…but a good reminder to have the same expectations for yourself as you do for others!!
~LaRa
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