It's crazy that I could almost break a two-year blogging streak by simply forgetting to blog. I mean, I know that humans have an incredible capacity for forgetting things, but you'd have thought that blogging would have become an automatic habit by now. I've heard that it only takes 30 (or was it 60?) days to develop a habit. How long does it take to lose a habit? Is it really a "habit" if it's so easily lost?
Of course, the purpose of this blog has never been just to blog. I'm supposed to study the scriptures, ponder insights, and share unique analogies, and I do that pretty often, but I'm not sure it's having as strong of an affect as it was meant to have had. Yes, I blog every day, even when I almost forget some days, but I don't study the scriptures every day. I read them occasionally, but I rarely study them. I haven't been doing so well at praying frequently, either. There are many gospel-related habits that I haven't developed, or that I've developed and lost.
I think that habits, even after becoming habits, still require a certain amount of effort to maintain. If we become casual in our praying, scripture studying, and in my case, blogging, we won't get as much out of them, and we may eventually stop doing them altogether. I don't want to stop blogging. I don't want to stop reading my scriptures and saying my prayers, either. I know that those habits help me make progress toward my eternal goal. If I lose those habits, I'm going to lose a good part of myself, one of the parts that help me be good.
I'd probably be surprised and depressed at how frequently I have to recommit myself to doing what I know I should do, but tonight, I'm recommitting myself anyway. I'm going to put more effort into my scripture study and more heart into my prayers. Hopefully, I'll put more insight into my blog as well, but I won't hold myself to that. In order to write insightful blog posts, I need to have an insight to share, and sometimes I don't feel very insightful. Tonight, for instance. But as I work harder to regain and maintain my other daily gospel habits, I expect that more insights will come to me, so I hope to have more that I can share. And when I regularly find insights that I want to blog about, maybe that'll help me to remember to blog every day.
1 comment:
Your blogs help me.
As far as frequently slipping and having to recommit, I suspect that is not at all uncommon even among those we admire most. It LOOKS like there are people who are naturally spiritual and always do the all-important basics and more and I suppose there are. I think that really most of the truly spiritual people have had to work long and hard at becoming that way. And some of the ones we think are so naturally good are people who are simply trying to become that way despite personal weakness and struggles. I know that there are a few people who are convinced that I am a better, kinder, more spiritual and righteous person than I am. How they maintain the delusion, I am not sure. I am so not good, kind, spiritual, etc, but I am trying. I know there are at least a few people who see you as spiritual, strong, righteous, faithful, et cetera. I also know that you are often not one of th0se who think so. Well, it's good to be humble enough to learn, to recognize our weaknesses and try to improve, and to have understanding for others. However, give yourself a little credit. Don't let discouragement and frustration defeat you. You are a Paladin, an awesome son of God, and a truly good guy. How blessed I am that you are my son!
Post a Comment