We all have them - beliefs, thought patterns, emotional responses, thought patterns, thought processes, behaviors, activities... all on auto-pilot. The question is: Are they serving you, or hindering you? To take it a step further: Did you choose any of them, or did any, or all of them, just take root without your consent? Be sure to set yourself up for success by examining all of your automated behaviors, and replacing the unhelpful ones with empowering ones. Here's a great read with some handy tips.
One of my favorite anecdotes about silly traditions and useless habits is a joke that goes something like this:
It's Easter Sunday, and a woman prepares the ham by chopping off the ends and placing it in the pan. Her husband asks, "Honey, why is it that you always cut the ends off the ham?" She wonders for a moment and replies, "You know, I'm not sure; that's just how my mom always did it." Without pause, she hollers over to her mother, who is visiting for the holiday and reclining in the other room, "Mom - how come you always cut the ends off the ham before you cook it?" Mom belts back, "I got that from your grandma - ask her." The woman phones her grandmother: "Grandma, why did you chop off the ends of the Easter ham?" Grandma: "The pan was too small."
