Distinguishing Virtue & Vice

Practice Visual

Overview

What	Virtues Habits that are based on and strengthened by softness and in harmony with your values Vice Habits that are based on non-softness and weakened by softness, and in disharmony with your values
Benefits	Ability to Distinguish Virtue & Vice
Instructions	Notice or Activate a Habit Soften into the habit Curiosity Strengthens: Virtue Weakens: Vice
Daily Life	Be Curious what happens when you soften into a habit. Does it weaken or strengthen? Is the habit that weakens/strengthens beneficial or disadvantageous for my values?
Consider	Distinguishing between Constructive Effort & Excessive Effort Some virtues might partially weaken as they are based on constructive effort as softening is able to release all effort - constructive & excessive. External: Thinking about what is most beneficial to say in a conversation Internal: Curiosity towards noticing the benefit in letting go of effort Constructive effort is that which leads to less effort in the future and/or progress towards your values Simmering > Impatience You cannot force the activation or deactivation of habits You do can create conducive conditions to increase the likelihood of activation or deactivation Create the conducive conditions and allow it to simmer e.g., Softening into Frustration Notice the excessive effort underlying Notice how uncomfortable it feels Release the effort underlying with some softening breaths You may or may not notice the weakening or complete deactivating of the frustration Notice how pleasant and preferable it feels to let go of effort Allow it to simmer Accelerate via Enchantment & Disenchantment Soften into i.e., releasing the excessive effort is effective in weakening any vice Softening into a virtue is effective in strengthening it However, creating a perception shift within your mind of understanding the benefit of virtues and the disadvantage of vice will accelerate the habit change due to 'parts of the mind' supporting it
Progress	Ability to Distinguish Habits into Virtues or Vice
Acknowledgement	MIDL