The Power of Habit

In Tompkinsville where we are we find that so many people are unemployed ,underemployed and most in the poverty or below level especially members of the ward. We ask ourselves often how we can help. In the book Power of Habit, It states, "Cultures grow out of Keystone habits. For instance, when researchers studied an incoming class of cadets at West Point, they measured their grade point averages,physical aptitude , military abilities, and self discipline. When they correlated those factors with whether students dropped out or graduated, however they found that all of them mattered less than a factor researchers referred to as "grit" which they defined as the tendency to work "strenuously toward challenges, maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress. "
"Studies have documented that families who habitually eat dinner together seem to raise children with better homework skills, higher grades, greater emotional control, and more confidence. Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget. It is not that a family meal or a tidy bed causes better grades or less frivolous spending. But somehow those initial shifts start a chain reaction that help other good habits take hold. (Who knew your mamma was so smart) LOL
If you focus on changing or cultivating Keystone habits, you can cause widespread shifts."
It is these Keystone habits we are trying to cultivate in the members and the community here in Tompkinsville .


"Keystone habits offer what is known within academic literature as "small wins." They help other habits to flourish by creating new structures, and they establish cultures where change becomes contagious.
This is what we need here in Tompkinsville. People are always full of excuses. Bob is so good at taking away they excuse. I am learning much from him.
We teach Beverly tonight and will answer questions she said she had for us. It should be good.

Today, I asked the Elders to give me their sheets and I would wash them. They put them in the washer and I just started it not paying attention. When I pulled them out of the dryer each elder had only given me 1 sheet each. I told them I was writing their mothers. So funny. The Elders will be with us probably til the weekend. We found them an ok apt. But it needs a scrubbing and fixing a few things but it is better than some apts. I have seen. Looks like furniture will be here Thursday from the mission so that is good. They are great young men but getting ready in the morning is a challenge makes me wonder how we did that my whole life with 9 people and 1 bathroom. We have become spoiled.