Old Habits Die Hard.

Back in my early primary school days at the private schools IIC and Adni, I was surrounded by classmates who were consistently poor performers during examinations. Perhaps it was due to them coming from wealthy families, and had been spoilt and made to be lazy by such a background. Perhaps they had numerous personal problems that I didn't know about that affected their studies. Or perhaps they were just plain thick.

Regardless of what the reasons were, I suppose I may have been influenced by their irresponsible study habits. I barely ever studied, me finishing my homework was a rare phenomenon, and I was frequently scolded and punished for failing to bring stuff like art supplies, protractors and textbooks for class - and don't get me started on my microscopic handwriting.

In spite of everything, however, I still managed to finish top, or near the top, of the class for every single exam. I'd be one of the first to complete an exam paper, or a handout done in class, or notes we copied down from the whiteboard.

As a result, I figured that I didn't have to work hard to outdo my peers. I got lazy. I procrastinated a lot. I received so many scoldings that eventually they no longer fazed me.

Up to this day, the old habits remain - the laziness, the procrastination, the bad handwriting. I wish I could be rid of them once and for all. I've tried turning over a new leaf many times, but in the end I always revert to default. The fact that I still somehow manage to consistently outperform my peers academically despite putting in significantly less effort than they do doesn't exactly help.

On the bright side, though, progress has been made. My handwriting is still tiny, but no longer illegible. I still put off my work, but I do get it done (not necessarily on time, though). 

Slowly but surely, I'm improving. And that's the way it should be done - slowly but surely. Driving slowly along the highway may take up more time than speeding, but you're less likely to be involved in an accident, and you'll still end up reaching your destination anyway.

Old habits die hard. But they do end up dying.