Knowledge will give you power, but character respect ~ Bruce Lee
When we assess ourselves we are finding our true self. In the process we also find our values and principles that make us who we are. Our principles are fundamentally important and defined by our character. We tend to recognize something of ourselves in others at a very basic level. Personality is the outer persona that we show the world. Character is he inner core of someone and represents the principles and values they live by. A person may have a great personality, but a rotten character and vice versa. One can fake a personality but not character. Character is harder to spot but can be seen in the way people treat themselves and others. It is made and earned through living and learning life’s lessons. You can never give up trying to be a better human being.
Principles form our ultimate belief system from which our values emerge. We understand that our actions are in alignment with our principles through conscience. Our conscience tells us if we are trying to fool someone else or ourselves. Conflict in conscience prevents any comfortable or happy feelings whereas when we are in alignment with our conscience we only feel satisfied and happy. Honesty is fundamental to getting anywhere in life. Being honest to oneself is one of the most empowering feelings. When we are honest, we not only earn the respect of other but give ourselves freedom to be ourselves. We can be dishonest and manipulate others but then we will also be disrespecting our selves. Having integrity means doing what is morally right. When we don’t know what to do and follow our conscience, then also we show integrity. If we make mistakes, and learn from them, do better next time, that also displays integrity. Living by our principles and with honesty is living with integrity.
Feel the fear and do it anyway. When we have courage to face our uncertainties and fears, we build our own character. Having courage takes us ahead in building our dreams, developing strength and overcoming our fears. When we do the things we want in life by standing for ourselves, not letting opinions of others cloud our judgement and come in the way, not get manipulated by others, we learn to become independent. Independence frees us of the need for other people’s approval. We can be what we want to be and not let others make our decisions for us. We learn how to be responsible for ourselves. We let ourselves get defined by our choices and not other people. Developing a sense of detachment instead of attachment to people and things is important for personal growth. It gives us the courage to go through problems and challenges in life.
A positive attitude of course influences our whole life and all the decisions we make. Attitude can make or break a situation. If we want relationships to work and grow as individuals, attract the right kind of people, situations and things in our life, a positive attitude is the one thing which will work. It is important to have a high self esteem of ourselves. Look at it this way, if we won’t, who will? If you don’t love yourself, why will anyone else? If we have a positive attitude it will also keep the burning desire within us to persevere hard towards our goals.
Once we are able to build a good strong character, we will be able to work in a progressive way towards our own life. Not only in our own life, but focus correctly on someone else’s. This is important for any counsellor as many come with complete trust and faith. Only when we understand and know what's right for us, can we help someone else see what's right for them, with their own judgement. Here out gut instincts play an important part. We have to learn how to hear and understand our own inner voice. The more we practice, the better we will get. Please add in comments which you think may be useful or even opinions you wish to convey. Every bit counts.
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