| 12 June 2011
What do we know about habits? What do we know about our own habits and how they affect and shape our lives? How do we change unproductive ones or more importantly how do we recognise them in the first place?
Yesterday, I decided to put a large label on a kitchen cupboard to encourage my housemates to recycle.
After reminding them ump-teen times over several months, and continually moving plastic bottles and cardboard from the ‘normal’ bin, I thought I’d try a different approach and plaster an A4 size label with giant writing in an obvious place.
It reads: ‘por favor, RECYCLAN’, and along side it is a giant arrow pointing to the makeshift recycle bins that I’ve created.
Along with the giant writing is a printed picture of a jolly little cartoon-man character with a big smile on his face, holding two coloured bags; one for organic produce and one for other recycled products. I figured Mr.Happy is generally a better teacher than Mr.Pissed-off.
As I am sticking the notice on the cupboard door, my weary looking South American house-mate walks in, having just finished his work-shift. He half-smiles at me and he looks at the sign.
‘No!, no!, no!’ he exclaims
‘Rrrree-see-clar con errr-ray eee i, No Rrrre-see-claN con N-ay, ’ he rolls, and then proceeds to open the postered cupboard door, shoves a monumental piece of plastic in the ‘normal’ bin and leaves.
I hold my head in my hands, grab my pen and change the letters to make ‘reciclar’ as instructed, and sigh as my mind races to the proverbial ‘plank in your neighbours eye’ metaphor.
Let’s face it, it’s hard to change habits, extremely hard. And for some it appears downright impossible.
So why am I not surprised to see the return of Serena Williams, without a competitive match since last years Wimbledon, coming into the grass court season as the bookies' favourite to re-take the Wimbledon crown?
Well, probably because the bookies know where the money is going. Or has it just become a habitual event, that we expect her (or her sister) to win again? Nine titles between Venus and Serena in the last eleven years says the bookies know what they’re talking about. It seems that the sisters have, between them, formed a habit.
It also appears that the women’s game is lacking so much that no one can seriously challenge them for the title? Well, maybe with the exception of Clijsters.
Eastbourne will be an interesting test this week, and may give us a small flavour of what’s to come over the Wimbledon fortnight, though rarely do the pre-Wimbledon events give us an insight into the potential winners for the most prestigious Grand Slam of all. I'm sure Tim Henman and Andy Murray would happily testify.
What IS surprising to me is that Federer is bookies' favourite, again, to win the men's title. In fact, I find this most odd.
With Nadal’s crystal-clear superiority over five sets it seems extremely unlikely that another meeting in the final could leave Federer with the edge.
And maybe just as surprisingly, Djokovic is third favourite after his blistering form this year.
Nadal has recently voiced his fear of Djokovic ,and I sense a final between these two may be what many people will be routing for. Not to mention the most likely outcome.
So what I’m still stuck with is why people are backing Roger as favourite once more? I’m assuming that the odds are a reflection on the bookies expectations or the bets they’ve already received?
Do the masses or the bookies know something we don’t? Or are they stuck with their old habits? Unable to change?
Well, one things for sure. I won’t be asking my non-recyclable flat-mate where to put my money this year. He might just advise me to back Sampras, Becker or even Borg.
Early Predictions (subject to draw - 17 June)
Women’s final: V.Williams vs. K.Clijsters
Men’s final: R.Nadal vs. N.Djokovic
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