The New Year's Trap: Avoid Black and White Thinking About Your Habits

“We get caught in perfectionistic and absolutist approaches. We impose rules on ourselves, such as “I will exercise every day.” But once we violate the rule, we feel helpless. We become like the animal on the electrified grid. Seeing no way to change, we give up altogether.” —from The Buddha’s Way of Happiness

Have you noticed that the excitement you feel after achieving a goal tends to be fleeting? Have you ever wondered what your life would be like if you could put aside your anxieties about the future, regrets about the past, and constant longing to change your life for the better, and awaken to the joy of living? Today we’re addressing these questions with an excerpt from The Buddha’s Way of Happiness: Healing Sorrow, Transforming Negative Emotion, and Finding Well-Being in the Present Moment by psychologist Thomas Bien.

This audiobook is a guide to identifying the barriers to happiness you create in your own life. You’ll learn how to use the eightfold path of Buddhist psychology to improve your ability to appreciate the small, joyful moments that happen every day.

In this excerpt, Dr. Bien explains why our harmful habits can be so incredibly difficult to break. You’ll be inspired by the Buddha’s wisdom, and learn that real change is possible when you can avoid the trap of black and white thinking about your habits.