OmPi's Adventures

Forbes.com has a great article about creating habits and addresses the myth of the 21-day habit formation. In this article the author discusses how simply doing something for 21-days does not necessarily make it a habit and from where this idea came. He continues by offering 3 stages of habit formation and I found them really useful for the Appalachian Trail.

The first stage of habit formation is the "Honeymoon Period" where things seem perfect and nothing can go wrong. This is the period of joy, where you are riding high and overlooking all the problems because something is new, fresh and exciting. The truth is however no matter how great the honeymoon is that it will have to come to an end.

Stage 2 is the "Fight Thru" and this is the point that really struck me. A lot of the suggestions the author makes to create a successful habit (ie finishing the AT), happen here in this stage. What is interesting is that many of the preparations Zach Davis suggests in Appalachian Trials, are the same as those offered in this step.

The fight thru is exactly what it sounds, when the honeymoon wears off and old habits are ready to take back over (ie you are ready to get off the trail), you must fight thru 2-3 times to overcome and solidify your commitment to this new habit. You successfully complete a fight thru by recognizing you are entering into a battle period, next do it in spite of your urge to go back, and finally keep a humility about yourself. Unfortunately there is no easy way around the fight thru but there are some tools to help in your battle. The biggest tools are found in knowing your why's and answering the questions the author recommends and Zach Davis recommends in Appalachian Trials (my answers). Also reflect on them regularly and revisit them when you have the feeling of letting the old habits take hold, in our case when you are ready to give up on the AT.

Finally you will have a new habit, once you have 2-3 Fight Thru's under your belt. That being said it doesn't mean you are immune from backsliding or falling into old habits again but the process of staying committed will become much easier. When in this stage, beware of discouragement (days of rain), disruptions (illness), and bigheadedness (I'm too good for anything to stop me). If you run into any of these, know that you are probably going to need another 2-3 Fight Thru's to get back to a successful habit.

More than anything else we must remember this process is not going to be easy and success through great habits take daily work, they are never permanent and require constant commitment. As I continue in my preparations and the formations of new habits to help me be successful on the AT I commit to often reflecting on these points as well as revisiting and updating my own answers to the Appalachian Trial suggested questions.

"That's out of the ordinary" is one of many that I have heard and it was meant in both a positive and negative fashion. Others have reminded me in various ways of my joy in starting and yet not always finishing something. Some have asked "Are you still doing the Appalachian Trail thing?" and many people are curious with all the other commitments in life how I am going to be able to take 6 months away.

Today when I read this quote it spoke to my inner being, it reflected my desires back at me, and it encouraged me in this journey. I want to take a moment and share it with all of you and encourage each of you who are following this journey of mine to take a moment and reflect on this reality.

Our existence is not even a blip on the spectrum of time. If we continually focus on doing what others desire of us, what society tells us is necessary, and what we have grown up being programed to believe, we will have wasted what little time we have. I encourage you to reflect on this and don't focus on the past but what you can do NOW and in the FUTURE!