One day a wise old man walked through the woods with a notoriously irresponsible young man and a stone head.

The old man stopped in his footsteps, then pointed to a small tree and said, “Take it up.”

Immediately the young man bent down, and with just one hand he could easily pull the tree out to its roots.

After walking further, the old man stopped in front of a rather large tree. “Try uprooting this tree,” he said.

Once again the young man obeyed the old man’s orders, but this time he used both hands and with all his might pulled the tree to the roots.

Finally, they stopped back at a very large tree. “Now pull out this tree!” ordered the old man.

“That’s impossible!” protested the young man. “I can’t uproot the big tree.”

The old man replied, “You are right. Habits, whether good or bad, just like a small tree, can be uprooted very easily. Habits whose roots begin to deepen like a tree that is already rather large, to pull it out requires effort and strong energy. Long-standing habits have taken root so deeply, that the person himself cannot pull them out. Take care of yourselves so that the habits you are cultivating are good habits.”