E109: Breaking Habits with Eric Zimmer

E109 Introduction

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E109: Breaking Habits

No matter where you are at in your life, habits will form a large portion of your time spent. We often will use habits distract or to self-soothe ourselves and we can tend to overdo things , especially if we have a compulsive tendency, which many of us do. Too much drinking or smoking, too much eating junk food or just too much eating, too much internet and porn, too much sports fixation or work fixation. Maybe we do all of it.

Or perhaps we have a habitual way of speaking. We always talk about the same things in the same ways over and over and over again, ad nauseum. Or maybe we habitually gossip or complain. I notice this habitual speech in myself as I engage in yet another conversation about sports. It’s not bad, per se. It’s just not particularly relevant. Not really anyways. We have so many other layers that want expression. Why habitually stay on the surface?

To make matters worse, we can spot this in others more readily. Habits are easy to see in others, aren’t they? We can spot the denial in our friends and loved ones a mile away. We can really SEE it in them but not so much with ourselves. So it is here that we find ourselves at the edge of our learning.

Habits tend to live in the shadow so we can’t always get a clear picture of them or the effect they are having on us. Sometimes it is not until we strip something away that we can see how something was impacting us or those around us.

How do we upgrade habits that don’t serve our best interests? As someone who has given up drinking and smoking years ago, I have been the direct beneficiary of looking at and letting go of habits that are unhealthy. And I am not a saint. Quite the contrary. My Hero’s Journey has been messy. Full of addiction and compulsion and methods of self-soothing that are less-than-noble.

Yet, none of that matters, does it? You may arrive at your next chapters tattered and worn-out and unsure of why you do what you do. I remember the fear that would come up whenever I would challenge myself to let go of an unhealthy habit. My ego would absolutely SCREAM to not do it!

What did I do? (after procrastinating and telling myself I couldn’t do it for months on end), I used the tools in my toolbox. I looked at my mission statement and my purpose in life and said, that is the kind of man I want to be. For my loved ones, for future generations, for my ancestors, and for the world.

I also asked for support whenever I needed it. Believe me, it takes a village to get us all to align with our courage and dignity. We are getting there, each of us. I am continually amazed at the soulful level of conversations I am having all over the place.

Sometimes the most heroic thing you can do is to challenge yourself to let go of the things you know really don’t serve you. To travel lighter in the next chapters of your story. I can promise you, you won‘t regret it. Let’s go talk to my guest today. A man who has also walked on, and continues to walk on, this path of discovery.

Eric Zimmer Bio

Eric Zimmer is the creator and host of the award-winning podcast, The One You Feed, which is based on the old parable about two wolves at battle within us. With over 300 episodes and over 15 million downloads, the show features conversations with experts across many fields of study about how to create a life worth living. Here is my interview with Eric Zimmer.

E109 Final Thoughts

Basecamp for Men E109: Breaking Habits