Habits Become Second Nature

This book is part of a series of spiritual growth books created by the author over ten years for every growing child. Each volume of the series cuts into an important topic of children’s growth： self-confidence and self-improvement， dreams come true， time management， love learning， harmonious coexistence， optimism and open-mindedness， happy growth， strong family affection， etc.

My mother has taught kindergarten， elementary， and middle school. She has a saying： “At three， we see the adult; at seven， we see the old.”

One day， on a whim， I asked her， “How can you tell what a person will be like at seventy when they’re only seven？”

She replied， “Because， by the age of seven， a person has already started to develop certain habits. The habits formed in childhood will affect a person for a lifetime. For example， you throw things around carelessly and stay up late; once these bad habits are established， it will be very hard to change them later.”

I stuck out my tongue and hid away.

After I grew up， when I exerted tremendous effort to change habits like throwing things away carelessly and staying up late， I truly understood the meaning of her words.

It’s indeed true that most of a person’s habits are formed during childhood and adolescence. Habits determine how a person behaves every day. These behaviors accumulate day by day， amounting to a person’s entire life process. The final result is that habits influence a person’s entire life.

Therefore， we cannot underestimate the power of habits. The British philosopher Francis Bacon reflected on this throughout his life and concluded， “Habits are the rulers of life.” From this statement， you can sense the weight of habits， good habits benefit a person for a lifetime， while bad habits bring endless harm.

Dear young readers， now is the time for you to cultivate habits. Developing a good habit is like planting a fruit tree sapling in the garden of your life， which will eventually bear sweet fruits for you; a bad habit， however， is like a thorny thornbush that will occasionally cause you pain.

More importantly， all good behaviors and qualities can only profoundly influence future life when they become habits， nourishing our lives.

Resolute and unwavering， unafraid of failure， persistent， smiling in the face of difficulties， enduring hardship， self-confident and self-reliant... these attitudes toward life must not only be understood but also transformed into habits， deeply rooted in the soil of our lives， supporting our beliefs in life everywhere.

Reading well， thinking well， observing well， trying well， and participating well... these ways of understanding the world must also be turned into habits， becoming a part of daily life so that we can access them effortlessly and apply them constantly. Let kindness， gratitude， politeness， trust， honesty， humility， compassion， and love become habits ingrained in your blood， and they will naturally make you emit a fragrant aura.

Let all of this become habit， become the cells in our bodies， the words in our speech， and manifest in our actions.

In your youth， cultivating these good habits is not difficult， as the time of youth is the spring of one’s life; the fertile ground of life is waiting to be sown， and each plump seed will sprout and grow rapidly. Dear young readers， you are now a clean sheet of paper， and every stroke and color will set the tone for the scroll of your life.

An excellent person， an outstanding person， a remarkable person， must possess an indescribable temperament， which， when realized， is essentially habits that embody good qualities， behaviors， and attitudes.

Temperament cannot be faked; it is the natural expression of a person’s inner world. When virtue becomes habit， it transforms into temperament.

So， dear young readers， the process of learning to be a good person is the process of cultivating good habits.

At this stage， you only need to do two things： First， read， and read more; Second， cultivate good habits.

If you do these two things well， when you grow up， success and competence will come naturally.

Let good behaviors become habits， and let good habits become a part of your life. Then， these habits will arise from within， instinctively， as natural as your breath. There will be no pretense or need for effort; you will naturally and purely become an excellent person from external temperament to internal spirit.

The Alchemy of Growth： Lifelong Good Friends

Let good behaviors become habits， and let good habits become a part of life.

In early 1978， 75 Nobel Prize winners gathered in Paris. A reporter asked that year’s Nobel laureate in physics， Kapitsa， “At which university did you learn the most important things？”

The elderly man， with white hair， replied， “The most important things I learned were in kindergarten.”

“What did you learn in kindergarten？” Everyone was puzzled.

He slowly said， “I learned to share my things with friends， to not take things that aren’t mine， to put things back where they belong after using them， to apologize when I make a mistake， to take a nap in the afternoon， and to observe nature carefully. These are the things I learned.”

Dear young readers， do you think the old man’s answer is too simple？

Think carefully; these habits will indeed accompany you for a lifetime and influence your future.

For example， “keeping things tidy” may seem simple， but if you do it consistently every year and every day， you will save more time than others to do more meaningful things. A tidy room will also make you feel happier， leading to greater efficiency in your tasks. “Apologizing when you make a mistake” fosters a habit of humility and kindness， allowing you to grow into a gracious person. When others make mistakes， you will also be able to forgive and show understanding.

This elderly man said， “The most important things I learned were in kindergarten.” I believe it wholeheartedly. The famous American psychologist William James said， “Sow an action， reap a habit; sow a habit， reap a character; sow a character， reap a destiny.” Good habits are lifelong friends that will accompany you.