Have you ever had a root canal? If you have, you’ll probably agree it is one of several very painful experiences in life.
Well, maybe “painful” is not the exact word to describe it, especially in today’s advancement in dental technology, as you usually go through the procedure under anaesthetics. But even so, it’s still extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant.
I recently had a root canal done to one of my molar teeth. It was a very unpleasant experience from start to finish, even though the procedure went very well and my dentist did a perfect job. But still, if it’s up to me, I’d never go through another one again for the rest of my life.
However, there is something positive that comes out of this experience. Because of my root canal, I’ve finally formed the daily flossing habit. Since my last dental visit, I have not missed one single day of my new daily once flossing, twice brushing routine.
I didn’t use any of the common habit building tricks that we so often read about in books and online. I never needed to start from a mini habit, or change my environment in any way to make it easier to do my habit. I never used any of that trigger-cue-routine stuff they write about in books.
The habit sort of builds itself out of a single motivator, which is, “I’ll never want to experience another root canal again!”
That’s the power of pain. I believe that if it’s strong enough, it can push you to form almost any habit and accomplish any goal.
What are some of the pains you have gone through that could be used to build some positive and long lasting habits?
Perhaps you are tired of the pain of anger or anxiety, then start building a meditation habit. If you don’t like the pain of going to a dead-end job every day, then start the habit of working on your own business. If you have enough pain of feeling like a nobody all the time, start some habits to improve or develop yourself.
Life is full of pain, but also full of choices. Our job is to make the right choice to avoid the right pain by building the right habit.
Harry
