I listened to a past sermon this week where our pastor asked us to finish this sentence:
“When I get fearful, I __________.”
His point was that what we put in that blank helps shape our outcomes, good or bad, and that we can train ourselves to respond differently.
Imagine a dirt road with two shallow tire tracks. Every time you drive over those same tracks, the grooves get deeper. Eventually, your tires settle into them almost automatically.
Each time we fill in that blank with the same action, we’re driving over the same tracks. We’re deepening the groove. Whatever we repeatedly put in that blank is what we’re training ourselves to do when that moment shows up again. Through repetition, that habit becomes more familiar and easier to return to.
For me, one honest answer when it comes to my health is:
“When I get fearful about my health, I Google my symptoms.”
One search turns into another. Before I know it, I’m down a rabbit hole, checking symptoms and reading things that leave me more anxious.
And each time I do that, I’m training myself to reach for Google when I’m afraid or notice a new symptom. I’m deepening a groove I don’t want to keep traveling.
Maybe your blank is eating, panicking, gossiping, getting angry, or scrolling.
The question is: What are you training each time you do it, and where is that training taking you?
The first step is becoming conscious of the groove you’re already deepening. What do you automatically do when fear shows up? Before you can intentionally train a new habit, you have to recognize the one you’ve been practicing without even realizing it.
Once you see that pattern, you can begin training something different:
The old groove doesn’t disappear overnight. Training a new habit takes intention and repetition. Each time you notice the familiar pull and practice the habit you want, you deepen the new path and make it more familiar.
Just like training in sports, one repetition won’t prepare you for every moment. Consistent practice gives you something to draw on when the pressure comes. We often call that muscle memory. Here, think of it as mental memory, practicing something enough that it becomes easier to access when you need it.
There’s a saying that we don’t rise to the level of our expectations; we fall to the level of our training. I think that applies to much more than just sports.
What are you training yourself to do right now?
Be honest about what currently goes in those blanks.
Then identify the outcome (response) you want and work backward. What habit would help move you toward it? What do you need to start practicing so that, when those moments hit, you have training to draw on?
Every repetition deepens a groove. Which one are you training?
Easy Easy,
-Luke Falk
