We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.
Aristotle
I believe in the truth of this quote. The development of good habits is the key to success in nearly every endeavor, whether it’s in the domain of health, relationships, or finances.
However, I also believe being mindful and present at the moment is equally important.
How do I reconcile having excellent, automatic habits—doing positive things without conscious awareness—with being mindful and fully conscious of the present moment? Are they mutually exclusive?
No! I think they are complimentary.
Let’s take one example, backing out of your driveway in your car. You want to have the automatic, mindless habit of putting on your seatbelt because you need to be very mindful of the fact that little Johnny is playing behind the car. One does not preclude the other, they assist each other.
The key is to be mindful of the habits (both good and bad) that you currently have, to see if they support what you want to achieve.
For the good habits, consider consciously and mindfully tweaking them to make them excellent habits. For the bad habits, put systems in place to mindfully get rid of them.
In essence, you want to apply the habit of mindfulness to your habits, slowly refining yourself towards Aristotle’s concept of excellence.