FORMING RIGHT HABITS 445 



training his body to do certain things effectively. The most 

 important thing is the control of his nervous system, because it is 

 through the effective use of it that he gets things done. If you 

 will be conqueror in your sphere of life, learn how to control your 

 own thoughts and deeds. In this way you will be prepared to 

 conquer in the bigger field of activity which you will enter later. 



Habits must be formed early. We have often heard the saying, 

 " You can't teach an old dog new tricks." This is all too true 

 of habit forming. We exercise our muscles and they grow larger. 

 Not so with our brain cells. We probably all have the same 

 number of neurons, but there is an unlimited number of possible 

 connections between them, which may result in a great many 

 habitual activities. Every time a new act is performed a new 

 connection, synape, is made between two neurons. While the 

 nervous system is young the cells are plastic, and pathways are 

 easily established between cells. These pathways, like a rut in 

 soft mud, become deeper and deeper with use. Habits are, there- 

 fore, readily formed at this time. " Practice makes perfect " is a 

 truism, but it illustrates how a habit is formed. Fortunate are 

 the boys and girls of the age who read this book, for they are able 

 to form good habits easily. But a man or woman of middle age 

 has formed habits, and to change them and make new ones is very 

 difficult. The nervous system is no longer plastic. 



Practical Exercise 7. What are the best ways of forming good habits? 

 Write a short composition on this for your workbook. 



What is the advantage of forming good habits in life ? Does habit-forming 

 relieve part of the nervous system from work? Explain fully. Explain the 

 increased effectiveness and power acquired through good habits. 



Importance of forming right habits. Among the habits which 

 should be acquired early in life are those of studying properly, of 

 concentrating the mind, of learning self-control, and, above all, of 

 being content. Get the most out of the world about you. Re- 

 member that the immediate effect of the study of some subjects 

 in school may not be great, but the cultivation of correct methods 

 of thinking may be of the greatest importance later in life. The 

 men and women who have learned how to concentrate on a prob- 

 lem, how to weigh all evidences with unbiased minds, and then to 



