The puck had barely touched your stick for a millisecond before you realized it was in the net.
Even though you were in a hurry, you paused for just a second with the door handle in your hand to let the elderly lady through first.
It was a dark shade of yellow, and before you realized what was happening you were through the intersection, unscathed.
We make subconscious decisions every single day without hardly a thought. Before we can even fully consciously comprehend what happened, it’s over and we are left with the results.
Subconscious decision making is largely habit. When left without time for the brain to process an event, the body simply does what it is used to doing. It completes what we have taught it to complete over many years.
While this is great for menial tasks and tasks for which we have taught our body positive habits, it is extremely detrimental when our habits happen to be negative or dangerous. The first two examples above are great - scoring an awesome goal and being polite at a doorway. The third one, however, is also a subconscious decision that is very habitual. What do you usually do when you see a yellow light or those flashing “Prepare to Stop” signs? Like most people, if you’re close enough to the intersection, you’ll accelerate a tad and get through with plenty of time. But what about when you’re a bit further than that?
Photo credit: fazen
Many habits last because they don’t cause any problems. Rather, problems haven’t been caused yet. Is that really worth the risk?
Everyday, think about developing positive habits that, in turn, positively affect the surrounding environment. It will pay off in the long-run, and eventually, in the short-run as well.
