Cigarette smoking, laziness, and being a perfectionist are among habits to change. This is what Epoch Times reporters from Romania to Spain discovered when they asked locals: “Do you have a habit that you would like to change?”
Wu Jun, 23, Economics Student
Yeah, I think I am a little bit lazy, and so I’d prefer to finish something a little bit quicker. …. I want to be more diligent.
Cluj, Romania
Istvan Balasz-Muresan, 35, Doctorate in Physics
Most of all I would like to change my laziness. I would like to be more active and help my wife more. My job eats away a lot of my time, and when I come home I forget about my duties that I have at home. And this comes from laziness. I’d like to change that and dedicate the rest of my time to my family. My wife works a lot too. I really want to be there when she needs some help. This kind of thing brings you satisfaction and would be good for our relationship, too.
Giancarlo Banchini, 40, Cinema Operator
Of course, smoking; it is a very bad habit for me. I have suffered physically twice in my life due to extreme smoking. And it is a very expensive habit. Now I smoke one pack (20 cigarettes) per day.
Peter Griga, 45, Cook
I began to experiment in my teen years, as most of the young people do, but I didn’t realize that cigarettes contain addictive substances back then. I thought that I could quit whenever I want, but that was a big mistake. I have lived with this suffering of mine for 26 years already. Sometimes, I was able to stop smoking for three months or several days. But probably my will is not so strong that I could quit smoking completely.
Bhavana R. Utmani, 39, Housewife
If there’s one habit that I’d like to change about myself, it is that of being a perfectionist. Perfectionists waste a lot of time as they dwell on something they’ve already done, keep trying to perfect it, and hence go slow with their work, thus missing deadlines. This is why I’d like to change this habit of mine.
David Villegas, 39, Logistics Manager
I would change my job because it is a little boring and stressful. Then I would be able to work fewer hours, do something that I really enjoy, and have free time to have a better quality of life with the family. With the remainder of my life, I feel very happy and beside small details, I would keep it as is up to now.
Monika Hlavova, 24, Town Hall Staff
Yes, I do. Unfortunately, I smoke. I’m trying to decrease it gradually and am quite successful in that.
Saga Anell, 14, Student
I have a problem with going to bed too late at night. My teacher has a saying, “Lazy people will be in a great hurry in the evening.” By that, it means that if you think you have a lot of time and put off important things, you will have a lot to do later on.
Bruna Antonio Dos Santos, 23, Digital Multimedia Student
I think I would change how I am a very lazy person. Our days are very busy and full of responsibilities, with hard work, study, and the days go by very quickly. But if I wasn’t always so tired and lazy, I could do good things, have fun, meet people, and enjoy more moments with my family. But I just don’t feel like getting out, because I’m always tired, need more sleep, rest, and acting this way I end up losing a lot of time and opportunities.
Brendon Laurence, 28, University student, Bachelor of Architecture
At the moment, I work too much. I think that’s my habit. I’m a university student, an architecture student so we work 24 hours a day, pretty much. I can’t seem to stop. I went to bed at half past five this morning and got up at 9.30. It’s a passion. I don’t really have an addiction; I don’t smoke; I don’t drink coffee; I don’t drink fizzy drinks—pretty clean except for work, that’s about the only thing that keeps me out of balance.
Look for the Global Q&A column every week. Epoch Times correspondents interview people around the world to learn about their lives and perspectives on local and global realities. Next week’s global question: “Do you think the world should continue to expand its use of nuclear power?”
