Young Habits Die Hard:

“We become what we do repeatedly” (Sean Covey)

It has rightly been said,because when we do something frequently it becomes our habit.This constantly performed action engraved in personality and becomes difficult to withdraw. Young age is a period,when various habits are growing up in a child and habits formed in early age are hard to quit.Practicing good things make our life happy.We become role models when we indulge ourselves in good habits.Habitual action is a mechanical  process and usually instilled in us involuntarily.Young age is very sensitive period because at that time children are unaware about the outcomes of habits.They do things for fun.Later on,these habits become part of their life and are difficult to correct. Mark Twain states:

                                                “Everyone is a moon and has a dark side

                                                     which he never shows to anybody”

Habit is something like a nature and once a habit is formed we are completely at its mercy.We want to abandon bad habits but we can not because we have become the slaves of our wishes.A bad habit causes loss to oneself and disgusts others.Habit is like a seed.If we sow good seeds,we will reap the best crops.Otherwise the result will be vice versa.

Good Habits:

Good habits are inevitable for leading harmonious and successful life.Our good deeds make our surroundings pleasant and worth living.History is witness that all great people were having healthy habits. They were devoted,determined and passionate people.They did things with craze and used to spend their time in doing constructive things.Reading books is a very useful habit and one must cultivate it because it enhances our exposure towards the outer world.

And playing group sports is considered an ideal habit.This habit brings harmony and integrity in our social life.If the children had played together,the sense of co-operation would have been developed in them.Many other good habits also brought up in them like passion of sacrifice for each other,honesty,commitment and the courage to face difficult circumstances boldly etc.This will largely be helpful in the positive construction of personality.Good habits are like blooming flower.If we do not make practice of them,they will die.Habits are a recognition of a person,we are known in society with the reference of

what we do and think. John Ruskin has rightly said:

                                           “Tell me what you like and I will tell you what you are”

Development Of Good Habits:

Developing good habits is pretty difficult in the beginning.But with the passage of time,the work which seems to us difficult,becomes easy and we perform it with perfect ease.For instance,when a child is sent to school;he weeps and cries.But when he daily goes to school it becomes his routine work and he gets accustomed to it.And one day he achieves great success when his studies are accomplished.This habit helps him in becoming an ardent citizen of country as well.

Similarly,a lecturer is also gets confused on his very first day in class.He can not deliver his lecture properly and even he finds himself at a pinch while speaking.His voice shivers badly.But he grows bold when he performs this job daily.He becomes assertive,confident and achieves the facility of speech.It is habit which makes things easy and the pain of work vanishes away with it.These examples reveal that when we practice things with full devotion and good intentions,these are perfectly injected into our personality.These gradually developed habits make us the most prestigious and noble figure of society.

Bad Habits:

Bad habits have its own charm but these are always destructive and ruin the personality of a person.These habits kill the innovative aspect of one’s personality.These are those habits which are usually performed consciously.Mostly people indulge in bad habits at young age.They take the habits of drinking and smoking from their peer groups. They drink and smoke to show people their maturity and strength and they forget the fact that these habits are destroying their health badly.This impertinent activity results in severe health conditions in later life.These people have to suffer lung cancer and other lung related complications.

And drinkers become a burden on society.The habit of drinking paralyze them.Even they loss the sense of right and wrong.Their purpose of life dies and they spend their whole life in an everlasting lurch.They suffer from different diseases.This habit which they adopt in their childhood for making fun become a curse for their whole life.Nobody like to have relations with such people and even their own flesh and blood leave them alone.This loneliness and pain become their punishment.The anti social activities of childhood are often seem difficult to wipe out.A child learns the habits of lying,stealing,misbehaving with elders  and being stubborn at very early age.Resultantly he becomes a dangerous thief,a liar,immoral and known as a totally ignorant  person.He has to get embarrassed every where.Nobody gives him respect and he loses his prestige and becomes a notorious person.His heinous crimes bring disastrous  in society and he disturbs the peaceful life of people.

 

Habits Constitute The Character Of A Person:

The character of a person is essentially the product of his habits.Character is not formed by abrupt actions but it is rather a system of repeated actions.Therefore, it is emphasized that good habits be taught in early life. Samuel Smiles has said:

                                                             “Sow a thought,and you reap an act;

                                                               Sow an act,and you reap a habit;

                                                                Sow a habit,and you reap a character;

                                                                Sow a character ,and you reap a destiny.”

He means to say that our habits are our character and our character leads us towards destination.The desirable habits can build the character of a man in the best way.When we do things in compulsion,it is always harmful.Therefore,we should perform good habits for the building of an exemplary character.

Influential Elements In The Formation Of Habits:

There are many elements that play a vital role in forming good habits like family,environment,education and companions etc.Initially a child imitates its elders.As he grows up he moves in society and gets influenced from his companions.That is why it is said,man is largely a product of his surroundings and whatever happens around him has a great influence on him. Education is a crucial element as well in the formation of ideal habits.It helps ion moral purification of a child.Therefore,it is necessary to put a child in good environment.In this way he sees good things,he will try to follow and copy them.Educational capabilities help him in developing good habits to large extent.It will not be wrong to say that a child is what,its family and society make it.

To epitomize the whole discussion we can say that habits which are instilled in young age have long term effects,whether these are good or bad.There is no doubt that young habits die hard but a person, is known as the best creature of this world, can modify it.Because he has been endowed a strong will that can overcome any bad habit at any stage of his life.Therefore,it is said,we should make every effort to give up bad habits and every opportunity must be utilized to form better ones.I would like to sum up my above mentioned discussion by a quote of Samuel Johnson:

                                                                “The chains of habits are too weak to be felt

                                                                  until they are too strong to be broken”