Sean FargoPublished January 12, 2015 · Updated October 22, 2026 · 1 min read
Printable Worksheet
The Shaping Principle
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A mindful companion to this worksheet
Setting an intention, shaping a habit
Much of life runs on autopilot, and most of that autopilot was set without our say. “The Shaping Principle” is a chance to notice the patterns you have inherited and to set a new intention with care.
How mindfulness can help
Mindfulness opens up the gap between a cue and a reaction, which is where a new pattern can be chosen. Bringing curious attention to a habit's full arc, the cue, the urge, the action, and the aftermath, gives us back some freedom where there was only repetition.
Gentle steps to try
1Set a clear intention. Name what you would like to grow or let go of in plain words. Write it down and read it each morning.
2Watch the cue. When the urge shows up, pause and notice what just happened in your body, your surroundings, or your mood.
3Insert one small choice. Replace the old action with one breath, one stretch, one glass of water. Small replacements loosen the pattern.
4Count the noticing. Even when the old habit wins, noticing it is real progress. Awareness is where every change starts.
Change rarely comes in one dramatic decision. It is the quiet adding-up of intentions remembered, again and again, with patience.
A note from Sean
Try this today. Tonight, look back over your day. Going only by what you actually did, said, and felt, not by what you planned, name the one principle that shaped it. Write it in a sentence. Then ask if it brought effectiveness, harmony, or satisfaction.
This suits the end of a day, or a quiet Sunday evening. Looking honestly at a day can stir self-criticism. If it does, treat what you find the way you would treat a friend, and go gently. Stop when you need to.
