In 2008, a man named Brian Thomas made headlines for a crime that shocked the world.
He had strangled his wife to death.
But what unfolded in the courtroom wasn’t a typical murder trial. Thomas claimed he was experiencing something called a sleep terror, a state where the conscious brain shuts down, leaving only primal reflexes active. In his unconscious panic, he thought an intruder was attacking his wife — and his body responded instinctively.
His defense?
He wasn’t acting with intent. He was simply reacting from the depths of his subconscious, following a habit hardwired into his brain: protect the one you love.
The court believed him. Brian Thomas was acquitted.
Two People. Two Habits. Two Outcomes.
At roughly the same time, another courtroom heard the case of Angie Bachman, a woman who had lost everything to compulsive gambling. After blowing through her home, her inheritance, and her stability, she was sued by the casino Harrah’s for over $500,000 in debt.
Her defense?
She argued that gambling had become a habit, a psychological trap she couldn’t escape. The casino, she claimed, had knowingly fed that addiction by sending targeted offers, free trips, and incentives — all while aware she had previously filed for bankruptcy.
But unlike Thomas, Bachman lost her case. She was met not with sympathy, but with public scorn.
Why?
Both claimed their destructive behavior was driven by habit.
But only one was absolved.
The Critical Difference: Awareness
At the core of these two stories lies a vital truth:
Brian Thomas didn’t know he could harm someone in his sleep. His actions, while tragic, were involuntary. His brain was not conscious. He had no prior warning.
Angie Bachman, on the other hand, knew her habit was dangerous.
She had lived through its consequences.
She had already been bankrupt.
She had the option to enroll in an exclusion program to stop casinos from contacting her — but chose not to.
In the eyes of the court and society, awareness created accountability.
Habits Aren’t Always Our Fault — But They’re Always Our Responsibility
Let’s face it: not every bad habit is something we intentionally created.
Some habits form from childhood.
Others come from trauma.
Many arise from convenience, survival, or emotional escape.
But once we recognize them…
Once we see the damage they do…
We no longer get to pretend we’re powerless.
Awareness turns habits from reflexes into choices.
The Habits That Silently Steal Our Potential
You don’t need to be on trial to feel the weight of bad habits.
Here are some that destroy progress without making a sound:
- Procrastinating instead of creating
- Scrolling instead of reading
- Eating emotions instead of processing them
- Comparing instead of building
- Pleasing instead of healing
Each of these becomes harder to break the longer we ignore them.
But they are still breakable — once we take ownership.
Change Starts with a Single Decision
You don’t have to change your entire life overnight.
You just need to start showing up.
- Replace one negative thought with a kind one.
- Swap five minutes of scrolling for five minutes of writing.
- Say “no” to one trigger you used to accept.
- Set one boundary where you’ve been silent.
Consistency beats intensity.
Awareness beats excuses.
And small wins beat perfect plans.
Finally
The difference between Brian Thomas and Angie Bachman wasn’t just the habit — it was what they did with the knowledge that do after becoming defines you.”
So ask yourself:
- What habit is quietly sabotaging your future?
- What truth have you been avoiding?
- And when will you decide to take responsibility?
The answer isn’t easy.
But it starts today — with one small step toward change.
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