The 21-Day Bovine Fecal Material
by Ruth Ann Harnisch on 01/22/10 at 7:01 pm
Day 22
I had to wait until Day 22 to write this post because I needed to get through the 21-Day period.
Go ahead, just type “21 Days” into your Google search window and see all the suggestions: 21 Days To Break A Habit , 21 Days To Form A Habit, 21 Days To Change A Habit, and so forth.
It’s said that your brain is reprogrammed after 21 days of consistent performance, and that it’s actually harder NOT to do your new thing after 21 days.
I’ve made a number of behavioral changes since January 1, and I have been consistent despite all obstacles. One of them might be obvious to you: I’m posting here every day, and the history of this blog shows that has NOT been my habit.
It’s not any easier to come to the computer today than it was on January 1. In fact, it might even be harder .
This is true of all the other behaviors I’m changing. It’s not easier after 21 days. It’s harder. I have compelling goals, and those goals pull me forward.
If people really could retrain their brains in 21 days, don’t you think Oprah would have stayed a size 10 from the day she hauled that wagon of fat onto her stage? Don’t you think every “recovering alcoholic” would stay on the wagon, with no need to hide behind the excuse that “relapse is part of recovery”?
I’m not retrained. I’m not rewired. I’m not reprogrammed. I’m just me, making decisions every day, sometimes by the second, about whether I will or will not do something.
And today, when I press “publish,” this will be Day 22.
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