The Power of Habits !!

Rcently, I got the opportunity to attend a session on "The Power of Habits" presented by the #Iskcon Team through the #FOLK App and gave us some knowledge from the teachings of #BhagvadGita. Here are some of the insights from the session:

The speaker said that the ultimate goal in our life is to live a cheerful life no matter what circumstances we are in. We should be able to enjoy every moment of our life.

They referred to a story which goes like this,

There was a boy who went to school and he had a very bad habit of stealing. For the first time, he stole a pen of his classmate. He was very excited to share this with his mother and his mother on hearing to this, did not punish him which she should have done. She should have stopped her child there and then but instead, she encouraged her son and he was boosted up to do more stealing.  Soon, he became an expert thief. One day, his actions led him into danger and he was caught by Police. He was sentenced to death and on being asked about his last wish, he expressed his desire to meet his mother. When his mother came, she was feeling pity to see her son in this condition and he asked his Mom that why she didn’t stop him, why she didn’t slap him. She should have stopped his bad habits.

 

Moral: Any childish activity if not stopped at the right time can convert into a dangerous habit. 

 

Habits can make or break us.

The speaker gave reference of the "Arjun Uvach" as mentioned in the Bhagvad Gita:

अथ केन प्रयुक्तोऽयं पापं चरति पूरुषः।

अनिच्छन्नपि वार्ष्णेय बलादिव नियोजितः।।3.36।।

 

In these lines, Arjun asks the question to Shree Krishna that why a person does a wrong activity when he knows that he is doing wrong. We don't want to do it but still we do it and then we feel guilty about it. 

 

 

The speaker referred to some of the Bad activities of the human beings:

1. You can always see people seeing something or the other in their phone. 

2. Eating Junk Food.

3. Fascination towards watching illegal content on the Digital devices.

4. PUBG game addiction

5. Sleeping Late at night and waking up late in the morning.

6. Procastination

 

The speaker, further highlighted on several points:

1. He says that we try to wake up early. We make timetable for that but that is followed just for one day and then at the exam time, we get a guilty feeling that we could have studied just one hour a day. Stress comes and because of that immediately a very strong determination comes that from the next day of our exam, we shall study regularly. This happens because of Procastination.

Procastination is defined by the speaker as delaying of our work or piling of our work. 

 

2. Another thing which the speaker referred to was that we become angry very quickly, on our classmates, colleagues or Parents because things are not happening according to us. This leads to addictions and further leads to a bad life. 

 

3. One of the major problems of youth today is that they have access to mobile phones and they are watching all sorts of illegal content on their phones. They are wasting their energy, time, resources, health etc. 

There is a guilt inside them but the youth is helpless. A person does not want to do this but something is fascinating them and that is the power of bad habits. 

 

So, what is the solution for this?

The solution has 4 steps which are to be implemented for 1 month:

1. Good Association: 

We need to live with those people who are positive and will support us in right things, who will give us the right guidance. Those who will give us Good Counselling. Emotionally also we need to live a healthy life. We need to be fit.

If we are depressed about something, we need to live with good people.

The speaker says that at #Iskcon, through the FOLK App, whenever you need help, you can connect with  a youth guide and you can discuss your problems with them if you have any stress and you can get counselling sessions as well.

 

2. Target at one thing at one time :

We need to take small steps towards making a change or making a progress.

If we are going for Jogging, then slowly we need to increase the time over several days. 

 

If we get angry very soon, then, we need to count in one day, how many times, we get angry and we need to reduce that number. When we will reduce it, we will take pleasure in that. 

 

Research says that it takes 21/ 40 / 66 days to change a habit. 

 

Let's say, we take 60 days to change a habit. So, as per this calculation , in one year (12 months), we can change 6 habits, to change our personality. 

 

3. Concept of Compound Effect: 

Example 1:

The speaker referred to a story of Akbar and Birbal where both of them were once playing a game of Chess. Akbar says to Birbal, that if  Akbar wins the game, then Birbal will give him 100 pieces of Gold.

Birbal says that if Birbal wins the game,

then Akbar has to fill all the 64 blocks in the chess board with wheat grains such that in every block, he has to double the wheat grains and keep them i.e. 1,2,4…..

 

So, finally the game ends and Birbal wins, so now Akbar has to put the wheat grains in each block of the chess board, 1,2,4,8,16……till the no.of grains in the 64^th block.

So, the treasurer of the king said that, we do not have so much wheat grains in our inventory to go by this strategy.

 

If we add the number of grains in all the 64 blocks, we get a very big number.

Also, the total weight of all the grains in all these blocks is too much.

 So, ultimately, Akbar could not fulfill Birbal’s wish.

 

 So, with this example, the speaker is trying to explain the Result of Compound Effect which we study in Mathematics.

 

Example 2:

If an offer is given to you that choose one of the following options:

1.      For 1 month, take 30 lakh rupees in one go.

2.      For 1 month, take 1 Rs. and double it every day.

 

So, which offer would you choose?

If you choose the second option,

Day 5 -> Rs.16

Day 20 -> Rs. 5243

And on 20^th day, you are repenting that you chose the wrong option.

 

Further ahead,

Day 29 -> 1 Cr 7 lakh

Day 30 -> 10 Cr 70 lakh

 

So, you see the Pseudo Board Effect, i.e. Exponential Change.

 

So, as per the speaker, we should start from small things and give 15 minutes daily towards changing our habits.

 

Through a graph, he explained that, as time goes by,

For the good habits, initially we shall get pain in adopting good habits but if we continuously follow the good habits without losing our patience then finally the good habits, give the exponential growth.

 

On the other hand, a person with bad habits, initially this will give him pleasure. Eg, sleeping till late, playing PUBG game, etc. but as time passes by, the person shall feel guilty of his activities and he will get negative exponential growth.

 

Eg, the students should start studying from 15 minutes daily and gradually should increase their study time to develop interest in studies.

The speaker further says that, if we are not able to follow all the above mentioned three steps, then we should follow the fourth step as given below:

 

4. Seeking Help from God:

As per the speaker, God helps those who help themselves. If for 3 things, we help ourselves, then for one thing, we seek help from God.

 

The speaker says that after the pain period (when we are putting efforts to change our bad habits), then there is exponential growth.

 

Seeking help from God:

a)      By chanting Hare Krishna Maha Mantra 

b)     By Reading Bhagvat Gita

 

The “Hare Krishna Maha Mantra” is as follows:

 

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

 

The session concluded by answering a few audience questions, where a person asked that he is not able to wake up early in the morning, and the speaker responded that you get up early at 5 am and recite the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra and keeping your determination strong, you would be able to achieve your goal, it may appear to be difficult but it is not impossible.

 

The speaker further gave an example that to have knowledge of everything, we need to develop interest, for this we sit in good company. He gave an example of an IIT student, who always sat in good company, that was the Topper  of the class and gradually he developed a lot of discipline in his life and his studies and became a IITian. So, that is the power of good company.

 

The speaker lastly answered for a question that sleeping in the afternoon is a bad habit but if we want to take rest, we can do it for 1-2 hours. Also it depends on how our body works, how much amount of physical work we do.