Changing habits is like walking a tightrope. 

Having a habit puts me in mind of a tightrope (and the hope that this isn’t a wandering thought).

Having done something many times, we feel confident in doing it again. Focused on our goal, we move ahead without any misstep as if walking a familiar tightrope. Acting from habits is very similar. Having repeatedly done something, we go forward without thinking, undeterred and confident we’re doing the right thing.

Until, hopefully, the day we realize this approach hasn’t really worked all that well for us because we have, indeed, been making missteps. And so we attempt to make corrections. But because we are now trying to do things differently, our steps become hesitant as we first blunder in one direction, then in correcting ourselves flounder too far in the other direction. We lurch back and forth, and sometimes even fall down, in our attempts to act more thoughtfully.

As long as we persevere, we will reach the point where our actions become not only confident, but correct.