Habits are like an old, familiar path.  

Having a habit, to me, is like striding along a familiar path, perhaps on the way to the market or in the park. Having taken a path many times, we feel confident when on it again. Paying no heed to what’s happening, we just keep moving, our mind on other things.

Acting from habits is very similar. Having done something repeatedly, we proceed without thinking, convinced that what we’re doing is just fine. Hopefully, the day will come when we look around and realize that we have been making mistakes. Indeed, this approach hasn’t really worked all that well for us. And so we attempt to make corrections.

But doing things differently is not easy.

And so we flounder, blundering first in one direction and then in another in our attempts to act more mindfully. As long as we remain patient with the process and we persevere, we will form new—and better—habits. We’ll reach the point where our actions once more are confident.

And correct.