Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Old Habits = Pujya Gurudev


Is it Possible to Change Old Habits?
=Pt.ShriRam Sharma Acharya
Habits play a crucial part in life. The personality of a person is determined by his habits. Good habits make a person gentle, genial and great while bad habits deform and disfigure a personality. Everyone is aware of the importance of habits and many wish to change their bad habits in order to improve their character, traits and personality. 
However, people complain that they find it well nigh impossible to uproot their deeply ingrained bad habits. 
This is a counsel of despair and is not true. It is, of course, difficult to uproot and change bad habits, but it is not impossible. If a person is determined and musters the requisite willpower, he can certainly succeed in his efforts. 
What is a habit? It is a mental rut created by mechanical repetition of a task. The tyres of a car travelling on a muddy road make a distinct impression. Similarly, the repetition of a task makes an impression on the mind. The more we repeat a task, the deeper becomes the impression. Every habit, thus, gets firmly fixed in the mind. A habit can be uprooted by steadily and persistently working against it. 
Just as performing a task again and again creates a habit, performing an opposite task again and again eliminates it.If the mind forces you towards the old habit, gently but firmly divert it towards the positive habit you want to imbibe instead. It is always easy to go back to old habits and therefore the mind gets effortlessly inclined towards them. The formation of a new habit is therefore very difficult initially. However, with repeated performance, it takes roots and becomes a part of ones nature. The refinement of gross and perverse tendencies in a persons personality or bad manners in his conduct is possible only by long-term practice and unwavering determination. Every self-confident person, if he wishes, can dramatically change for the better his mentality and outward conduct through regular practice. 
Children are particularly vulnerable to easily imbibe good or bad habits. They constantly imitate the habits of people they come into contact with. To make our children well-mannered, cultured and responsible citizens, it is necessary that we ourselves present an example of an ideal conduct before them so that they can follow in our footsteps and enrich their lives with inspiration and enthusiasm. 
               If parents exhibit laziness or misbehaviour in their conduct (for example in getting up late in the morning, conversing rudely with people, making inappropriate gestures, etc.), then how can we expect their children, who remain with them for 15-16 hours a day, become civilised and well-mannered? (Countinue)
Thanks GOD, Thanks Sadguru,
Shiv Sharma

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