Everyone has at least one bad habit. Whether it’s being frequently late, tapping your feet, or eating junk food, a bad habit can have a negative influence on your happiness, health and social relationships. 【小题1】 However, understanding the basic principles of behavior change can give you a head start on the process.

You can only change what you decide you want to change. Take some time to reflect on the trouble your bad habit may lead to. 【小题2】 The more honest you are with yourself about the nature of your bad habit, the more likely you will be to start on the path toward changing it.

【小题3】 You need to strengthen your sense of belief that you can accomplish what you want. Seeing other people change successfully is inspiring, but you need to see yourself as being able to make those changes in yourself.

【小题4】 Once you figure out what is driving your bad habits, you will have gone a long way toward changing them. By figuring out what’s causing the bad habit, you can also work on deciding how to control the outcomes of your behavior.

Set reasonable goals at first, since your bad habits have taken years to establish themselves. 【小题5】 Decide on a realistic schedule that will work for you based on goals that you believe you can meet. Work out a schedule of times to go to the gym or on a run that will readily fit into your existing schedule. Start off slow, and gradually increase until you’re at the level recommended for your age, gender and family history.

Self-esteem (自尊) is all about how much people value themselves, and how worthwhile they feel. Self-esteem is important because feeling good about yourself can affect how you behave. A person who has high self-esteem will make friends easily, control his or her behavior properly, and will enjoy life more.

Some teens struggle with their self-esteem when they begin puberty (青春期) because the body goes through many changes. These changes, combined with a natural desire to feel accepted, mean it can be tempting for people to compare themselves with others. They may compare themselves with the people around them or with actors they see on TV or in magazines.

It’s not just development that affects self-esteem, though. Many other factors can affect a person’s body image too. Family life can sometimes influence self-esteem. Some parents spend more time criticizing (批评) their kids and the way they look than praising them, which can reduce kids’ ability to develop good self-esteem. Sometimes, classmates and peers may also make negative comments and laugh at the way they look. Sometimes racial and ethnic prejudice (种族偏见) is the source of such comments. Although these often come from ignorance, sometimes they can affect someone’s body image and self-esteem.

Some people think they need to change how they look or act to feel good about themselves. But actually, all you need to do is change the way you see your body and how you think about yourself.

The first thing to do is recognize that your body is your own, no matter what shape, size, or color it comes in. If you’re very worried about your weight or size, check with your doctor to prove that things are OK. It’s no one else’s but your own business what your body is like — finally, you have to be happy with yourself.

Next, identify which aspects of your appearance you can realistically change and which you can’t. If there are things about yourself that you want to change, do this by making goals for yourself. For example, if you want to get fit, make a plan to exercise every day and eat nutritious foods.

When you hear negative comments coming from within yourself, tell yourself to stop. Try building your self-esteem by giving yourself three compliments (赞扬) every day. By focusing on the good things you do and the positive aspects of your life, you can change how you feel about yourself.

Do you want to have a great best friend? Would you like to know how to start a perfect friendship? Maybe the following will give you some advice.

Be your own best friend first. Learn how to respect yourself. 【小题1】, then you can’t respect others. Understand what values are important to you and stick to them. Seek out others who honor those values because you’ll only end up hurting yourself and possibly others if those people don’t have the same values as you.

Trust each other. To be a great best friend really doesn’t take much. All you have to do really is make sure you can both trust each other. Don’t try to trick or use your friend to your advantage. 【小题2】.

Learn to listen. 【小题3】, but never listens. If you’re a chatterbox, try to develop good listening skills. Whenever your best friend says something, listen carefully and say something. Don’t interrupt while they’re talking to you. If they ask for advice, listen carefully and give them the best advice you can.

Care for your best friend. If your best friend is upset, ask them what’s wrong. 【小题4】, but they should in the end. If they don't tell you, don’t get angry at them. Understand that certain things are private, and trust that they’d be just as patient with you if you were in their shoes.

Let your friend have other friends, too. If your best friend picks another friend over you, try to be friends with their friend too. Maybe you guys can be a group of friends! 【小题5】. But never leave the old one; your faith is what the other person expects.