When weeding, we need to pull out the roots 

or the weeds will grow back.

Eradicating bad habits is the same; 

remove the root or the habit will reappear.

Someone unskilled at weeding will often begin by removing the stems and the leaves. But seemingly overnight, the weeds start growing back. And so the novice gardener learns a valuable lesson: removing just the visible parts of the plant won’t eliminate the roots. They need to be located, uncovered, and dug out. 

Similarly, we often try to shed bad habits by curtailing visible behaviors. But this fails to remove underlying causes. Not surprisingly, as soon as we relax our guard, the bad habits return, as rampant as those weeds. To permanently eradicate bad habits, we need to destroy their roots. How?

First, we need to determine the habits’ underlying causes. Maybe selfishness? Maybe apathy or a lack of integrity? By figuring out the causes of our bad habits, we can eliminate them.

Forever.

“Take the elevator, it’s much quicker.”

Instead of automatically reacting with sarcasm 

or trying to be clever, think again.

Will our wit ridicule another?

Will our sarcasm harm the listener? 

For varied reasons, ranging from wanting to make others laugh to being considered witty, or simply being frustrated with a situation, we can find ourselves using sarcasm. But what is sarcasm? It is yet another manifestation of anger. We may view ourselves as amusing, but we’re heedlessly belittling another person or some situation. There’s a valid reason why the Greeks defined sarcasm as “tearing flesh.” 

Before glibly tossing out another sarcastic quip, we need to figure out why we feel inclined to do so.

So that others will laugh? 

So that they think we’re sophisticated with our rapier wit? 

Surely, we can manage to make others laugh without resorting to disrespect or ridicule. We also need to remind ourselves that our sharp remarks subtly nurture tension in others and plant seeds for our own future belittlement.

There’s no need to fuss . . .