Turn Over a New Leaf

Source: Speaking Tree

Have a makeover; become a better person. The only thing stopping you is YOU

How many of us think of our personalities as obnoxious relatives, difficult to get rid of! There was a man who, although fine in most ways, allowed his weaknesses to grow like weeds, until his good points began to choke for lack of nourishment. Whenever help was offered to him by way of pointing out how he was hurting himself, he said, “I know – but I am helpless! This is how I was brought he up, all these tendencies were there in my parents as well.” He would proceed to list all the conditions that had made him the way he was. And it turned out that he enjoyed being helpless.

Heredity and environment do influence our personalities. But people are much too eager to accept their personality as their fate. If you ask them to change, they let out waits of pain and run away like rabbits. They are interested in what you have to say until they find out that it means that they need to change themselves.

We can change ourselves if we want to. The timid can become brave, the restless can become meditative, even the talkative can grow to love silence, the impatient can learn to love patience and the overcritical can become a fountain of appreciation.

Once we bring God into our lives, we rise above limitations. We have only to realize that we are deeper than our personalities. We need to step aside and watch our personalities until we can see that the whole thing is merely a coat covering our divinity.

We do not know how great we are. We do not know what a glorious future lies before us. Many think “Well, God wouldn’t look at me, so I’d better not look for God.” We think we are unworthy, so we hide from Him. Yet God has been looking at us all the time. He doesn’t hold it against us if we have failed His test. All He wants is to see us conquer our shortcomings. God says, “I’m not interested in your faults. I am interested only in your continual improvements!”

Remove mental fences

By exercising, you gain muscle and begin to do the exercises better. More than that, you come to understand how strong you already are. Because you have never tested your strength, your will is hypnotized into making you feel inadequate.

Even the most restless person can gradually develop the “Strength” to meditate, or to pick up any good habit he wishes to inculcate. Why not test yourself! Don’t be afraid…

Karma, heredity and environment, these are only temporary stumbling blocks in the path of the strong person. That fact that some people have conquered them shows that they can be conquered. Instead of crying “I give up”, when you stumble, laugh and get up again. You will discover that the only thing preventing you from changing is the belief that you can’t change.

Here are six things you can practice that will greatly help your efforts to change:

1)      Be active, never passive in response to life’s challenges. Willing activity will awaken within you the thought that something can be done about every problem.

2)      Exercise regularly with deep attention. Physical exercise will not only keep the body fit but will enliven the mind.

3)      Practise breathing deeply several times a day. An increased supply of oxygen to the lungs invigorates also the brain.

4)      Make a habit of holding your body erect, whether standing or sitting. An erect spine induces positive mental attitudes. A bent spine is the natural companion of negativity.

5)      Develop a preference for foods that are high in energy and nutrients as opposed to junk food. Remember, diet plays an important role in your mental and physical well being.

6)      Say ‘YES’ to life! Two voices compete within us – one is life affirming; the other, life negating. Be open to the Yes influence. When faced with a new opportunity, ask yourself, “How can I make it a reality?” Stop being naysayer.