In recovery circles, there’s an old acronym meant to keep us in check: HALT — don’t let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. The idea is simple: when we let those states take over, we make bad decisions.
But I’ve added my own word to the list: Comfortable.
When I get too comfortable, I drift into autopilot. That’s when trouble starts. Because my “natural” state — left unchecked — is one of discontent.
And when nobody’s steering the ship, guess who shows up? My ego.
“Hey,” it says, “looks like the captain’s gone. I’ll take it from here.”
Nothing good ever happens when I slide into complacency and let my ego take the helm.
That’s when the little old lady in the checkout line suddenly feels like she’s deliberately taking forever just to test my patience. The guy who merges into my lane without signaling? Clearly an entitled jerk. And the receptionist putting me on hold must be doing her nails instead of answering the phone, right?
Because, of course, they’re all out to get me.
After all, I’m the center of the universe.
Ego.
These moments always end the same way — conflict, hurt feelings, and another amends I have to make.
So I’ve learned to keep a new reminder close:
Don’t get too Comfortable, Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired.
It doesn’t sound as catchy as HALT, but you get the gist.
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