Ready for a funny story? I thought you might enjoy a light-hearted look at how some of our actions become deeply ingrained without our conscious knowledge.
Some time ago, my refrigerator handle broke. One of the screws sheared off so the handle was no longer functional As a temporary solution, I re-attached the handle to the other side of the refrigerator (I didn't know our refrigerator was bi-handled :D). This allowed me to open the refrigerator door easily; but the door now swung open the other direction.
Over and over again, I found myself unconsciouly reaching for the refrigerator handle in its OLD location. And over and over again, I had to get conscious and Seek the Handle in its new location. This happened numerous times a day, as you might imagine. And it got darn right funny watching the old, ingrained behavior operating by default.
Days later, I'm still reaching for the handle in the OLD location. It became an amusing metaphor for the old beliefs in my life. How even when we've implemented a new strategy or solution, the old behavior takes a while to clear out. This is a simple example, so imagine if the habit you're wanting to change is to quit smoking, eat healthy, stop being co-dependent, exercise, recover from trauma, etc. It can take a LONG WHILE (days, weeks, months, even years) to clear out (unless you have the benefit of some energy tools like Emotional Freedom Technique "EFT").
Just today, I was remarking about how the habit of reaching for the refrigerator handle in its NEW location has become ingrained and now that the handle is finally being fixed, I'll have to go through the process all over again. (Only this time, I have EFT to shorten the process...Hmmm...this could be VERY INTERESTING!)
Well, that's my story - an amusing one at that. So remember to "Seek the Handle". And if you've got some old beliefs, habits, experiences you would like to release (who doesn't?) in a more timely fashion, consider EFT and consider joining me on Wednesday, May 2nd at 1:15pm Eastern for a teleclass on EFT. You can read more about it here: http://womensu.com/SayYesTeleclass.htm
Seeking the Handle, :D
Lauren
P.S. - When I sat down to share this funny story with you, I had no intention of making the connection to EFT and my upcoming teleclass. In fact, it didn't even occur to me. But as I was typing and writing about how long it took to change my old behavior, it occurred to me that EFT could have shortened the transition. SUre, the refrigerator handle is a goofy example, but it's SO REPRESENTATIVE of important habits and behaviors. And now you know...the rest of the story :D