They say old habits die hard. That’s a good thing!
I’ve had two very recent reminders of why it’s good that old habits die hard.
First, I had my first rehearsal on Monday afternoon since the end of May. Normally, I’m pretty amped up for the entire of the day rehearsal, somehow convinced that I no longer remember how to be effective in rehearsal. This year, I leaned into trusting the habits built over the last 20+ years, and – surprise! – I was able to lead the rehearsal well. (This happens every year; the only new wrinkle was not getting anxious about it ahead of time.)
Second, writing this very post. I haven’t actually written a word for my website since the beginning on June. Since then, 16,000+ words and 80+ posts have gone live on schedule thanks to some vigorous pre-writing. I admit that I was a little nervous sitting down to write today; but my voice is my voice and my habit is my habit – so I’m happily writing again daily thanks to a clearly defined habit.
The longer you live, the deeper and richer habits can become. Now, there’s certainly an opportunity for bad habits to become deeper and richer, too. But it’s just delightful that good habits are hard to break, too.