The Habit Ballot Box
When I was a kid, I couldn’t wait to vote. I was eligible to vote as a seventeen-year-old in the 2004 Presential primary since I’d turn eighteen before the general election. I was enthusiastically proud. I remember waiting in line, bursting at the opportunity to participate in the democratic process of selecting the next leader of the free world. I felt like an adult.
Choosing bureaucrats doesn’t get me nearly as excited as it did in 2004 (although I still take it seriously), but there’s another type of voting I’ve found much more impactful.
James Clear wrote in Atomic Habits that “every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.” IT REALLY RESONATED because developing and maintaining positive habits has long been something I’ve tried to achieve. Maybe due to being raised by two military parents or possibly an inherent personality trait, I’ve always needed an elevated level of structure.
I maintain an organized schedule, go to bed and wake up around the same time each day, eat mostly unprocessed foods, and try to drink enough water to stay hydrated. I’m also interested in developing new habits that can help me be happier, healthier, and more productive. I never understood my thirst for improvement until I came across that line from Atomic Habits.
“every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become.”
That single line clarified my behavior. It explains why I’ve focused on writing every week for the last year. It reveals why I’ve tried (with modest success) to develop a meditation practice. It even illustrates why I add a mushroom powder to my morning coffee (the stuff is fantastic). I’m trying to change my future self.
When I think about who I want to become, I draw inspiration from personal heroes, some of whom I have a relationship with and others I know only through books, media, or art. These heroes demonstrate actions, expertise, characteristics, or results that I seek to emulate, so I clone the habits they exhibit.
I admire those who can clearly and concisely write about their ideas, philosophy, and experiences. So, I write to become a better writer.
I respect those who can keep a calm, relaxed demeanor in the face of adversity, something with which I struggle. So I meditate to attain better control of my reactions.
And I highly regard those who prioritize their own and their family’s health, sometimes making decisions that vastly differ from the typical lifestyle. So I eat to sustain health.
By cloning the habits of those I admire, I’m voting on who I want to become—these votes are much more impactful to my happiness, health, and family than any election outcome.
Unfortunately, these votes aren’t always in favor of improvement. Whenever I reinforce a poor habit or create a new destructive one, I’m also voting for my future self. It’s easy to justify “bad” habits as no big deal, and perhaps in isolation, they’re minor, but that rationale can defend many actions, leading to a future self that I’m not happy to be.
That’s the thing about harmful habits; we don’t set out to create them. Habits are neural shortcuts. The brain consumes about 20 percent of the body’s energy (in a resting state), so simplifying decisions is essential to preserving energy. Delegating tasks to the nonconscious brain frees up processing power to solve new or complex problems.
There are short-term benefits when we decide to stay up late binge-watching the latest cultural fad; otherwise, we wouldn’t do it. We enjoy the mindlessness of watching t.v instead of feeling anxious about approaching work deadlines or financial decisions, and we can join in on discussions about the fate of Carol Baskin’s late husband. This makes us feel “in the know.”
The act of staying up late to watch a show solves a problem (temporarily relieving anxiety), and the brain takes note. Next time a deadline is causing angst, the brain is cued and ready to “assist.” Next thing you know, you’re up late again, sacrificing rest and recovery for mindless indulgence.
While I vastly oversimplified habit formation, I hope to have reasonably demonstrated it. One may not set out to be a night owl, but that’s the victor after the votes are tallied. That’s not to say watching t.v. is always wrong; only that awareness is required to keep an occasional treat from becoming a daily routine and eventually a defining feature of you.
Do I skip my daily walk because it’s a tad chilly outside? No, because I don’t want to become a person who doesn’t take walks when the conditions aren’t perfect. Should I skip my meditation due to a packed schedule? No, because I want to be a person who makes time for mindfulness despite a busy schedule. Thinking about actions this way helps avoid the trap of minimizing destructive behaviors and reinforces positively impactful ones.
No one is perfect. I frequently fall back into old habits and fail at forming new ones. But regarding seemingly insignificant actions as votes serves as a reminder that I’m choosing my future self one small decision at a time. It’s not about perfection. It’s about improvement. By thinking about our future and voting on that person daily, we can reverse engineer our way to greater contentment.
