Powering our Mind: How to work on our Personality
I believe we can work on our personality through powering our mind.
I can’t help it, we say. ‘This is just the way I am’. ‘Anger runs in our family. I don’t suffer fools gladly’. ‘ I am 58 years old and I am not going to change now’.
Those are all excuses. I have made excuses too, so I am not exempt. But you get what I mean.
There is great power that lies in the mind. Powering our mind through mind management has the potential to increase our worth and value. One way of powering our mind is through working on our personality.
#1 Learn to invest in your mind
You must invest in YOU. What you put in your mind will ultimately affect every area of your life. In computer terms, we say garbage in….garbage out. You are where you are today because of two main things:
- What you said yesterday
- The books you read/what you watched
Therefore fill your mind with the right things. I just don’t read anything. I just won’t invest my money in books, or any material that will make my mind a thrash ground. Even if it is free!
You got to be choosy/picky/fussy about what you are feeding on. Even in your leisure.
Don’t read a novel for pure enjoyment if it is going to fill your mind with dread, fear, anxiety or negative thinking. Don’t see it as innocent fiction. It is not. Weeks, months or years later you find yourself thinking some weird, strange, angry, ‘unheard of’ thoughts that is just not you, and wonder where did it come from. Not much guessing that!
#2 Accept not everyone wants to be at peace with you
You have a responsibility to be at peace with everyone as much as is possible. The Good Book admonishes us to live at peace with everyone as much as is possible. Note the clause, as much as is possible.
Firstly, carry the mindset that everyone likes you. Who would not like ‘superb you’, anyway? Don’t go around with a chip on your shoulder thinking such and such person does not like you.
But remember, try as you may, not everyone wants to be friends with you. Try as much as possible, not everyone wants to forgive you. Try as much as possible, not everyone wants to be at peace with you. You have no control over this.
Just make sure your conscience is clear. And carry on with living!
#3 No one ‘owes’ you an apology. Don’t be a prisoner waiting for the debt of apology to be paid.
Accept that. If you keep thinking Mrs. Brown owes you an apology, imagine how you are keeping your life on hold, delaying your joys of life because you are awaiting this debt from Mrs. Brown!
An apology does not change you. If you remember that, it will help you. It is good to apologise and we must always apologise when we do wrong. But when we apologise it is for our benefit. It is to give us a chance to truly think about what we have done, repent and CHANGE.
Mrs Brown can apologise, weep from now till 2099, and still not change. Or even mean it.
The fact is when we forgive someone, apology or no apology, we are free. We are not left as prisoners waiting for the debt of apology to be paid!
#4 Think wholesome thoughts
If you keep thinking up angry thoughts, mean thoughts, thoughts of regret and so on, you are going to be one miserable person.
Choose what you think about. Your mind is a garden. If the neighbours throw thrash in it, discard it. If someone tries to put the wrong thoughts in your mind, throw it away i.e. don’t think and meditate about it. Pick up the thrash you put in your garden too.
What you focus on directs your passion, energy and drive. So make sure you are thinking on things that will bring you to a place that you want to be and not find yourself on the wrong highway!
#5 Don’t be too touchy; Remember, not everything requires an explanation or even an answer
My goodness. People are way too touchy these days. One is always offending someone. See this post on things we were not offended about 20 years ago but are offended about today!
If you keep trying to appease touchy people, you will find yourself constantly apologising. I may not like everything that someone says about me or what I do, but if they don’t have a valid point, I choose not to dwell on it. I choose not to make a fuss. It is just that we live on different streets!
Sometimes people’s criticisms have a valid point. If there is something valuable I can take from it, fine. I will make adjustments. I believe there is a valid place for critics. They are my unpaid, free assessors.
If their criticisms are not valid or are even malicious, I just ignore or block them (if on social media, etc). Time is precious to be thinking about what some person at the corner of the earth somewhere that I have never met, said.
Remember not everything requires an explanation or even an answer. Sometimes silence is the best response! Someone once said silence can not be misquoted. Some truth in that, ay?
#6 Assess your lifestyle and adjust any destructive habits
Your habits make up your character. What do you do often? Are there any unproductive or even destructive habits that you got to get rid off? Check your lifestyle and make adjustments and changes.
Work on your thoughts first in order to change your lifestyle. Until you change your thoughts, you can’t change your life.
Here’s something to meditate on (The last two, my own edit):
Thoughts become words
Words become Actions
Actions become Habits
Habits become Character
Character become Lifestyle
Lifestyle become Destiny
Thank you for all your shares on Pinterest of our blog posts. Please remember to keep sharing on social media. Below this post, you can also follow us and we can stay connected! Click today!
Excellent Post! I think every one of us can benefit from these six steps. #2 resonated with me. I want everyone to be at peace with me, but I am learning that is just not possible. I have also found out sometimes that is where we find the most growth.
In helping families that have a loved one with mental illness one of the comments I hear so often is their loved ones say, “I have a mental illness so I just can’t change.” Your post gives great hope. All of us are capable of changing, but it must start with us and our mindset. Thank you.
Yes as Maree said, your post gives us a lot of hope. No more excuses. We can power our mind! Thanks for this great website
Thanks Maree and Antonia!!