Opinion Topic: Five Habits That We Allow To Become Our Real Enemies.

The majority of us have all had a person or group of people that we refer to as being our enemy or enemies. This state of mind is definitely true when it comes to certain situations and aspects of life. There will never become a time in life where everyone you meet or encounter will like you or respect you.

There will also be times where someone that is a friend or maybe was once a friend, will betray you and turn into an enemy of yours. If that's what you are expecting to see discussed in this write-up, then this particular article probably isn't for you. At any rate, I hope that you will read it anyway.

We probably don't want to hear it, but the truth is that we are often our own worst enemies. We often allow our bad habits to control us and keep us unproductive. This article is going to point out five things that I feel that we allow to become our enemies. Most of the things that will be addressed are things that we as individuals can change. These are strictly my own thoughts and opinions. There is no right or wrong.

Quick, fast, and easy are words that often rule in a fast paced society. Fast food restaurant chains have been popular for years upon years. However, it appears that with the continued growth of technology and people wanting to do things faster, eating fast food has become the norm.

There's nothing wrong with indulging in fast foods from time to time. Unfortunately, the constant shoving of these processed foods down our throats has become so normal, that some people eat fast food daily. I'm not talking about once a daily, but often multiple times in a single day. Ever heard the saying, "Eat to live, not live to eat"?

Too many of us are making bad foods an enemy, which is leading to an epidemic of obesity and various diseases taking over our lives and communities. We all know that we need food to live, but it's important to put some good foods into our bodies sometimes. Food in general shouldn't be an enemy of ours, but like many other things we make it one of our biggest enemies.

Almost, if not all of us has made these statements at sometime or another; "I'll do it later", or "I'll get around to it tomorrow". Many times we say these things with good intentions on doing them later. However, often times when later comes around, we either end up forgetting to do them, or putting them off even longer. This can lead into a vicious cycle where bad habits become the norm.

Just like everything else in life, procrastination is something that is forgivable when it happens in moderation. However, many of us have turned it into a way of life. I'm guilty of procrastinating as well, so I strive to become better at not doing it as much.

We have to learn to stop putting things off so much. Tomorrow isn't promised to anyone, and there might become a time when we won't have the opportunity to do those things that we continuously put off.

Yes a cellphone is definitely good to have. We always need to have ways to keep in contact with family and friends. However, too much use of your cellphone can be a bad thing in my opinion. The sometimes endless amount of time that we spend talking and texting could be time spent towards partaking in things that could help better our lives.

This habit especially applies to anyone who is a student in any form of school, whether it's public schools or college. Instead of spending 2 or 3 hours a day on the phone, try cutting it down to 30 minutes to an hour. The rest of that time could be spent studying, reading, exercising, or meditating. The only people who should have enough time to constantly spend on the cellphone are people who are 100% content they are in life.

Most Americans are avid television watchers. The average television watcher these days could probably tell you what reality shows are popular, and what fall and summer shows they are looking forward to watching. Again, there is nothing wrong with watching television. However, there are too many of us who spend too much time glued to that high definition screen.

If your not watching the news, or programs that deal with education or self-improvement, the television most likely isn't doing anything to help better your life. My usage of watching television has decreased dramtically over the past few years. The news is what my television viewing mainly consists of. Most of my other favorite shows are recorded and viewed when time is available. Again, there is nothing wrong with watching television is alright, but like many other activities that we enjoy, it should be done in moderation.

Yes, I did go there and said Facebook. I could have easily broadened this and said the Internet or a computer. However, since both the Internet and a computer can be valuable tools, I had to narrow it down to the most popular form of social media; Facebook. I read an excellent article recently titled "Facebook is not your Friend". It can be read here. This article discussed how Facebook makes money off of it's users, and how using Facebook can cost you in various ways.

The article wasn't talking about costing you financially, but rather how it could cost you career wise. My personal belief is that some people spend entirely too much time on Facebook in general. Whether it's via their computers or smartphone, there are some people who literally stay connected with Facebook all day long. As I mentioned previously, the time spent wasted on Facebook could be time spent doing something to better ourselves.

We've all seen people who constantly run to Facebook with their problems, when most people on Facebook could care less. I've already written about this in a previous article that can be read here. Facebook can be a great site to use for keeping in touch with others, or promoting a business or movement. However, if it's hindering your personal growth and progress, it's probably time to fall back off of it some.

None of us are perfect, so nobody can expect us to overcome bad habits overnight. Poor habits are something that need to be worked on daily to defeat. Not every person that we meet or encounter is an enemy of ours. I hope that we remember this next time we visit a fast food chain, put off something important till tomorrow, turn on the television, talk on the cellphone, and log onto Facebook.

At the bottom are two quotes. One is from Coach NYM, who was featured on Stic's 'The Workout' album. The other is from motivation speaker, Eric Thomas. Thanks for reading.

"Do you realize your enemey? Obesity, High blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease.-Coach NYM

"If you don't have a 4.0, you need to be studying. Get off the phone"-Eric Thomas, motivational speaker.