Why Building Habits Requires a Thick Skin (Atomic Essay Day 26)

My great grandfather (or Pitaji as we used to call him) lived to be a 102 years old. A part of his longevity was his determination to live to be 100 (to the extent that his family told him he was 95 for 5 consecutive years) but a big part of him was his ability to stick to a routine. The family joke is that his son came to visit him from the US and was promptly ushered out of his room at 2pm because it was his siesta time.

I remember when I was a child and he would visit our house, everyone would be on their toes. Lunch was to be ready at a certain time and everyone must be present before he sat. Pitaji was the epitome of maintaining habits, James Clear got nothing on him.

I can only hope to match up to his dedication and sheer willpower. Building habits and trying to stick to it sometimes makes you a social piranha. I often find two parts of myself at odds -

• On one hand, I feel that there will always be something else to do, someone else to meet and something or the other that is demanding my attention. And I should hold my ground (and habits) and not give into these distractions. This sometimes means no to meeting friends during the week, sleeping in early and other things that are considered ‘boring’

• On the other hand, I feel that planning everything is not possible. There will be days where I will not be able to keep up with my habits and its not something I should feel guilty for doing. This is embracing serendipity at its best and being more open to everything life throws at you.

What choice do you usually make?