THE 3 LIES OF THE HABBIT DEMONS

avoid the three lies.

THe THree lies oF THe HabiT deMons

Every time we break a commitment and fall back into a bad habit, we have bought into one of the three lies of the Habit Demons.

Think back to when you started a bad habit. Think about what happens to every alcoholic who falls off the wagon or every person who gains back the weight she lost or all the people who waste piles of time dealing with issues they once had under control. These three lies rear their ugly heads, we buy into them, then fall.



lie #1 ONCE WILL BE ENOUGH”

“Just have one beer, one smoke, one dessert.”

Anytime you hear something inside that sounds like this, it’s lie #1. Is one beer enough for an alcoholic? No, one is too many and a thousand is not enough. Whenever you hear “once” or “just this time” let a red fag remind you about the Habit Demons’ lies.



lie #2

“MESS IT UP GOOD”

Once you give in to Lie #1 and do something you know you shouldn’t, then Lie #2 kicks in. “Now that you’ve blown it, mess it up good.” It looks like this for someone trying to control the bad habit of eating late at night: “Just have one piece of pie. One little piece can’t hurt you. You deserve just one small piece.” So you cut yourself a piece. Soon afterward you hear Lie #2. “Well, now you’ve done it. You might as well have another piece. Wouldn’t another piece taste great? You’ve already blown it, so why not mess it up good? Go ahead, have another piece and why not top it off with some vanilla ice cream?” So you give in and feel terrible. Then comes Lie #3, which is the fnal stage of loss of control.



lie #3 “GIVE UP”

By giving in and doing what you did not want to do, you feel terrible. You have “messed it up good.” Now the natural progression is to stop trying, simply “give up.” What this lie tries to get you to say is, “I’m worthless, I’m hopeless, I will never be able to control my habits. I’ll quit trying.”

Reject all three lies; they are false. Once is rarely enough. If you are tempted to do something wrong “once,” check out if it’s not the first of the three lies.

If you do mess something up, don’t mess it up worse. You don’t have to go any further. You can resume control. Exercise that control now. Never believe Lie #3. Never quit trying. You have immense value and you are never hopeless. The winners in life recognize and refute the lies of the Habit Demons. Jim Sharkey once said, “No man is a loser until he quits trying.”