IT used to be only about three feet tall because it was constantly pruned. When the pruning process was neglected for years, our talisay tree grew tall, hard branches that cutting them seemed like a daunting task, and the sight of dry leaves falling on the ground was irritating. Just because cutting overgrown branches was neglected.
The whole thing reminds me of habits and vices – easy to control when you fight them in a conscious and regular manner – when you remind yourself of your values that help you make choices and set limitations. If you neglect it even for just a while, things become unmanageable and you lose control.
That’s why we need determination and will power. We need to check our habits as well as the kind of people we associate with and listen to. If we always chat with rumor mongers and meddlesome persons, what are the chances that their behavior will influence us? If you always hang out with a gambler, what are the chances that you will become a gambler, too?
Like it or not, even a casual remark may influence you to say or do something which you might regret later. It would be helpful and wise to reflect on the type of person you want to become and the type of person you don’t envision for yourself. Always ask yourself why.
Once these things are clear to you, it will be easy to distinguish the winning habits from those that you need to discard. “If this is the type of person I want to become, I need to stop this particular habit or attitude”. “I should focus more on this and that”. “I have to let go of habits that drag me down”.
Cutting overgrown branches takes only a few minutes, but if the branches are allowed to grow tall and hard, cutting them could be a daunting task and one could just find excuses not to cut them anymore. The same things apply to habits and vices.
How do you see yourself five years from now? What “pruning process” do you consider subjecting yourself to, and why? What winning habits do you intend to focus on? What habits do you need to discard?
Remember, our choices shape our future.
(Marilyn Arayata: arayatamarilyn.wordpress.com. For inquiries on seminars: writing, inspirational, preventing bullying, depression, and suicide e-mail [email protected]) (Marilyn C. Arayata)
