Ever since school started this year I’ve been dropping two of my boys off at school instead of one. This means my bag goes in the trunk instead of the back seat. Every day when I arrive at work I open the rear door, stare at the empty seat and wonder how I was robbed while driving. Then I smack my forehead and retrieve my bag from the trunk.

Each time this happens I’m reminded of how powerful our habits are. I’m usually thinking about something else as I get out of the car, allowing my habits to take over. This particular habit isn’t all that useful of course, but imagine if you automatically went for a run every morning, ate only healthy snacks or took out the trash without thinking about it.

Habits, good and bad, can be incredibly powerful once they’re in place. It’s been 2 weeks since school started and I’m still unthinkingly looking for my bag in the back seat.