Welcome to Spotlight Advanced. I'm Bruce Galland and I'm Alice Sarah Zuri. Spotlight
uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand
no matter where in the world they live. A man wakes from bed at
eight in the morning. He dresses and makes his bed, He starts the
stove to make breakfast, and he brews coffee. All the while he is
not thinking about any of these actions. He is thinking about what he is
going to do later in the day. These actions are the man's habits.
There are things he does every day, or at least very regularly. He
performs them so often that he does not have to think about them. This
frees up his mind to think about other things. Habits can be very powerful.
They can help you learn new things. A good habit can keep you
healthy, or it could keep you organized. A good habit can help you
become more successful in life. But starting a new habit can be difficult.
Changing a bad habit can be even more difficult. There is good news,
though. There are several well established ways of making new habits. On today's
Spotlight, we will discuss them. We will talk about how they can help
your life for the better. Today's spotlight is on the five steps to making
a new habit. Everyone makes habits. You form habits when you repeat an
action again and again. Do you remember learning to tie your shoes. At
first, it was probably difficult. You had to think about the motion,
and you probably failed often. But soon the motion became easier. Your fingers
moved automatically. All habits are like this. They are a way of learning
how to act. Some habits, like learning how to tie your shoes,
are active. These are habits we form with intention. We learn them because
we want to learn them. But many habits people form are passive. These
are actions we make in response to the environment. These help us adapt or
change to fit in with things around us. Often these habits are harmless.
But such habits may not be the best way to deal with the situation,
or these cause more problems rather than resolve the situation. Most people learning new
habits are trying to change passive habits, or they are trying to relearn habits
they learned incorrectly. They hope that a new habit will make their lives better.
These five steps will help you, or anyone you know, do just
that. The first step to making a new habit is to set a goal.
Do you want to eat healthier? Do you want to learn a new
language. Understanding these goals will help you focus on what you need to change,
and goals will allow you to understand how a new habit might help.
Some people even recommend creating a detailed plan. This will allow you to track
where you are in your goal. The next step to making a new habit
is to start small. Most life changes can seem very large at first.
These may even seem too big. Ashley Abraham Hampson is a blogger at one
Medical. She wrote about forming healthy habits. One of the biggest mistakes people
make when trying to form a new habit is taking on too much, and
they try to do it too quickly. They want to exercise more, so
they begin to train for a very long run immediately. Big changes like this
to your routine can be overwhelming. These can be exhausting and difficult to continue.
Most changes do not come quickly all at once. Change comes with time
in small steps. Long distance running may be impossible for someone who has never
run, but that person could run a smaller race soon they may be ready
to try a larger goal. The third step to making a new habit is
to repeat it often. All new habits form through repetition. Sometimes you may
need to repeat the habit once per day. Some you may only need to
practice once a week. For others, you may need to set a special
time. The point is not to practice more. Instead, it is to
practice regularly. You do not have to meet your goals every time, but
if you continue, you will eventually form a habit. The next step to
making a new habit is to make it fun, or you could combine the
habit with something you already enjoy. Exercise is a good example. Many people
think exercise means lifting weights or running, or they think that it must be
unpleasant, but there are many other activities that can keep you healthy. Do
you like long walks in the woods? Do you like dancing? These are
exercise. They may not be the most efficient exercises, but if you enjoy
them, you are more likely to practice them often. Finally, your new
habits should be part of your routine. Most people do things in the same
way every day. They go to the same places, they speak to the
same people. A habit should fit with these repeated activities. A person learning
a new language does not need to change their entire life. Instead, they
should find a time within their day to practice. Do you have extra time
after work? What about before? Fitting habits in these spaces makes them easier
to continue. You only need to change one aspect of your life to fit
this new habit. Changing to make new habits is difficult. Sometimes it can
feel impossible, but following these tips will give you a good start. Creating
habits can give you control over some parts of your life life. It can
help you learn or grow as a person, and new habit may be the
way to success in your life. Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian peace activist and
spiritual leader. He often wrote about forming good habits. He once said,
carefully watch your thoughts, for they become your words. Manage your words,
for they will become your behavior. Consider and judge your behaviors, for they
have become your habits. Recognize and watch your habits, for they will become
your values. Understand your values, for they become your future. Do you
have a habit you want to form? What is it? How will you
make the habit happen? You can leave a comment on our website or email
us at Radio at Radio dot net. You can also comment on Facebook at
Facebook dot com slash Spotlight Radio. The writer of this program was Dan Christman.
The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United
Kingdom and the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced
by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again and read it on the
internet at www dot Radio English dot net. This program is called the Five
Steps to Making New Habits. You can also get our programs delivered directly to
your Android or Apple device through our free official Spotlight English app. We hope
you can join us again for the next Spatlight program. Goodbye,