World of Words

Old habits die hard

When we do a thing repeatedly, we are inclined to do it again. It becomes easy to do so and subsequently we form the habit of doing that thing. Habit is thus a settled or an established practice of doing something or a tendency to act in a particular way. Thus slurping while having ones tea or using particular word while speaking become habits, and indeed, were difficult to break.

It is comparatively easier to form a habit then to get rid of an old one. That is why it is said that, “Old habits die hard”. The reason is that ones we form a habit, we are under its powerful influence. It becomes out master and we become its slave. McKinley has said, “It is just as easy to form a good habit as it is to form a bad one. And it is as hard to break a good habit as a bad ones”. So get the good ones and keep them “as good habits are not adopted easily whereas bad habits are not abandoned easily”.

Habits are formed when the mind is impressionable, and unfortunately, it is easier to form a bad habit then a good one. This is because most of us choose the line of least resistance. Bad habits are easily picked up in bad or evil company. People who have bad habits tempt us to do a thing once just for sheer fun or excitement. But the fun or excitement we feel induces in us first a desire and then an intense craving to repeat the act and thus we form the bad habit. As a wise man has observed a bad habit, “Comes as a slave but stays to become our master and commands us to our grave”. Changing a habit or getting rid of a bad one can be quiet difficult. But it is well worth the try. For after all, don’t we want everyone to like us? A little inconvenience in the beginning no doubt, but the effort will be well worth the reward.Habits influence character. Though it is difficult to define good character, it can be said that character is a bundle of habits. Good character is made up of good habits while bad character is made up of bad habits. Therefore to built good character we must form good habits. It has been rightly 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 a destiny.

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