Day 8 of My Writing Challenge- "Why I choose 21 days"

bybrichnow21

1.6K followers

6 years ago

Now, that I've successfully fulfilled one full week, I began thinking, just where, in the deep archives of my memory, I came up with this "magic" number?

Probably, Zig Ziglar, at first, but then, I remembered a study that NASA, had done...so the research began.

The "21 days", idea came from Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon, back in 1950. After, creating a new nose, for a person, he observed, that it took 21days, for a person, to actually get comfortable with their new image.

He also, later, observed, that an amputee, also, took this same amount of time, to accept their new condition.

My searching, rather negated Maltz's...or rather, suggested this was merely was "the tip of the iceberg", but readily, caught on as "The magic number" for habit change.

I remembered this NASA study, performed before space travel, while trying to determine whether an astronaut would, perhaps, have a psychotic breakdown, due to space orientation, over long periods of time.

The study had the subjects wear googles that turned their orientation upside down, for 30 days, day and night, even while asleep. By 30 days, the new orientation was the norm.

This lead to the understanding that it takes, this amount of time, for the brain's electronic neural patterns, to form new routing.

Through additional studies, they, also determined , that if not continued, for a longer time, the subjects would return to the old pattern.

Not, being one to take things at face value, I needed to relate this to something of my experience.

No matter the 12 Step program, 30 days is the marking point...ONE month, and maybe, there's chance for real transformational recovery, from the inside.

The idea, that, I "have to", will become an, "I want to"!

Change in attitude!!!

Skeptics, of Maltz's, "21 days" theory, later determined that if the initial 21 days, continued for 2 months, (30 days, twice), the patient is well on his way to having embraced, totally this "New pattern" or habit...Living sober or whatever the affliction.

I've seen this, many times, but I've also, seen folks giving in, at this point, as well, and returning, to the old, rather rapidly, once in a position to use their "free-will".

Why the difference?

Change is not something, many, people are comfortable going through. Often times, change is forced upon individuals...perhaps, a hurricane or, in the example above, perhaps, an arrest!!

Real personal change MUST come from within!

Rev. Creflo Dollar, an Evangelist, had this expression, "The 3 D's"!

1. Desire! - Without it, it is not personalized, as a motivation to change.

2. Discipline! - Why I choose this challenge!

3. Delight! - Victory over, one's own, self-destruction!

This is a self reminder, that I must continue to "practice" this new habit, IF I am to continuing in the Delight!

Thank you, for spending your time!

Always, appreciated!

Barb