Top 10 HEALTH TIPS

1. Shake your Body!
Every day find new ways to move your body. Use the stairs rather than an escalator or elevator. Walk your dog (or
a neighbours' dog if you don't have one!) , chase your kids, play ball with friends, mow the lawn. Anything that
moves your limbs is not only a fitness tool, it's a stress buster. Think 'move' in small increments of time. It doesn't
have to be an hour in the gym or a 45-minute cardiovascular class or body pump or kickboxing. Move more and
feel better!

2. Cut the Fat
Don't eat the obvious fat in your diet such as fried foods, burgers and other fatty meats. Eat dairy products like
cheese, cottage cheese, milk and cream low fat versions. Nuts and sandwich meats, mayonnaise, margarine,
butter and sauces should be eaten in limited amounts and even then in their low fat verions. Most are available in
lower fat versions.

3. Reduce Stress
Stress busters come in many forms. Some techniques recommended by experts are to think positive thoughts.
Spend 30 minutes a day doing something you like. (i.e., go back to number one above!, exercise is a great stress
reducer, Soak in a hot tub; walk on the beach or in a park; read a good book; visit a friend; play with your dog;
listen to soothing music; watch a funny movie. Get a massage, a facial or a haircut. Meditate. Count to ten before
losing your temper or getting aggravated. Avoid difficult people when possible.

4. Stop Smoking
All the experts agree on this one. Ever since 1960 when it was announced that smoking was harmful to your
health, people have been reducing their use of tobacco products. Just recently, we've seen a surge in smoking in
adolescents and teens. Warn your children of the false romance or 'tough guy' image of smokers. Find ways to
quit smoking hypnosis, support groups and even prescription medicine such as Zyban is available to help you…

5. Reduce your exposure to Pollution
Not everyone can live in a smog-free environment, but we can all avoid smoke-filled rooms, high traffic areas,
breathing in highway fumes and exercising near busy thoroughfares. Exercise outside when the smog rating is
low. Exercise indoors in air conditioning where air quality is good. Plant lots of shrubbery in your yard. It's a good
pollution deterrent. If you ride a bicycle in traffic, where a small pollution mask over your mouth and nose.

6. Clunk Click every Trip
Statistics show that the wearing of seat belts add to longevity and help alleviate potential injuries in car crashes.

7. Don't Drink too Much Alcohol
Whilst it is true that a glass of wine or one drink a day (two for men) can help protect against heart disease, more
alcohol than that, or binge drinking on a night out, can cause other serious health problems such as liver and
kidney disease and cancer.

8. Floss Your Teeth
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Harvard Medical School studied longevity and found one of the most important contributing factors was daily
flossing! Flossing and brushing your teeth daily can make your RealAge as much as 6.4 years younger. These
studies make a direct connection between longevity and teeth flossing. Nobody knows exactly why. Perhaps it's
because people who floss tend to be more health conscious than people who don't?

9. Maintain a Positive Mental Outlook
There's a definitive connection between living well and healthily and having a cheerful outlook on life. Yes, keep on
smiling and laughing!

10. Pick Your Parents Well !
The link between genetics and health is a powerful one. You can't pick your parents, but just because one or both
of your parents died young in ill health doesn't mean you can't counteract the genetic pool handed you. So follow
the first 9 tips above.

Today's Quote

In this external world, which is full of finite things, it is impossible to see and find the Infinite. The Infinite must be sought in that alone which is infinite, and the only thing infinite about us is that which is within us, our own soul. Neither the body, nor the mind, nor even our thoughts, nor the world we see around us, is infinite.
Complete Works, 2: 175

Today's Quote

Some people are so afraid of losing their individuality. Wouldn’t it be better for the pig to lose his pig-individuality if he can become God? Yes. But the poor pig does not think so at the time. Which state is my individuality? When I was a baby sprawling on the floor trying to swallow my thumb? Was that the individuality I should be sorry to lose? Fifty years hence I shall look upon this present state and laugh, just as I now look upon the baby state. Which of these individualities shall I keep?
Complete Works, 2: 467

Top 200 Secrets of SUCCESS - 4th 10

The Top 200 Secrets of Success and the Pillars of Self-Mastery
-- Robin S. Sharma

31. Stress is simply a response which you create in the interpretation of an event. Two people
might find that a given event results in quite different responses. For example, an after
dinner speech might strike fear into the heart of an inexperienced speaker while a strong
orator views it as a wonderful opportunity to share his thoughts. Understanding that the
perceived negative effects of an event or task may be mentally manipulated and
conditioned towards the positive, will allow you to be a peak performer in all instances.
32. Read "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. It contains a
wealth of wisdom and powerful insights into further developing your character and
enhancing your personal relationships.
The Top 200 Secrets of Success and the Pillars of Self-Mastery
-- Robin S. Sharma
Page 6 of 26
33. Become a committed audio-tape user. Most personal-mastery programs and books are
now offered in this format. Listen to these inspirational materials on your way to work,
whilst waiting in the line at a bank or while you wash dishes in the evening. Make your
car a college on wheels and use the drive time to make knowledge your best friend. All
down time can be very effectively used in this productive fashion. Use such opportunities
to learn and continually expand your mind and its vast potential.
34. Try fasting one day every two weeks. During these fast days, drink fruit juice and eat
fresh fruits only. You will feel more energetic, cleansed and alert. Fasting also has a
salutary effect on your will-power as you are subverting the otherwise pressing impulses
in your mind calling on you to eat more.
35. Keep a radio-cassette player at your office and listen to soft, soothing music throughout
the day. Place pleasant scents and inspirational pictures in your workplace. By the magic
of association, your work will become something you enjoy even more and arouse a very
pleasant feeling within you. Budget your time on trips such that you can spend half an
hour in the airport bookstore. They always contain the latest and best self-mastery books
and tapes given that those who travel by air are of a group that finds value in these
materials.
36. Read "As a Man Thinketh" by James Allen. And don't just read this little book once, read
it over and over again. It contains an abundance of timeless wisdom on living a fuller and
happier life.
37. Remember that forgiveness is a virtue that few develop, but one that is most important to
maintaining peace of mind. Mark Twain wrote that forgiveness is the fragrance the violet
sheds on the heel that has crushed it. Practice forgiveness especially in those situations
where it is seemingly difficult. By using your emotional forgiveness muscles more
regularly, petty wrongs, remarks and slights will not touch you and nothing will penetrate
your concentrated, serene mindset.
38. Empty your cup. A full cup cannot accept anything more. Similarly, a person who
believes that he cannot learn anything else will stagnate quickly and not move to higher
levels. A true sign of a secure, mature individual is someone who sees every opportunity
as a chance to learn. Even the teachers have teachers.
39. The Two Minute Mind is an excellent exercise for developing concentration. Simply
stare at the second hand on your wristwatch for two minutes and think about nothing else
for that time. At first your mind will wander but after 21 days of practice, your attention
will not waver during the routine. One of the greatest qualities a person can develop to
ensure his success is the ability to focus for extended periods of time. Learn to build up
your concentration muscles and no task will be too difficult for you.
40. Drink a cup of warm water before a speech. Ronald Reagan employed this strategy to
ensure that he maintained his honey-smooth voice. Mastery of the art of public speaking
is a noble goal. So dedicate yourself to it. You will be judged by the calibre of your
communication skills.

Top 200 Secrets of SUCCESS - 3rd 10

The Top 200 Secrets of Success and the Pillars of Self-Mastery
-- Robin S. Sharma

21. No one can insult or hurt you without your permission. One of the golden keys to
happiness and great success is the way you interpret events which unfold before you.
Highly successful people are master interpreters. People who have attained greatness
have an ability which they have developed to interpret negative or dis empowering events
as positive challenges which will assist them in growing and moving even farther up the
ladder of success. There are no negative experiences only experiences which aid in your
development and toughen your character so that you may soar to new heights. There are
no failures, only lessons.
22. Take a speed reading course. Reading is a powerful way to gain many years of
experience from a few hours of study. For example, most biographies reflect the
strategies and philosophies of great leaders or courageous individuals. Read them and
model them. Speed reading will allow you to digest large quantities of material in
relatively small periods of time.
23. Remember people's names and treat everyone well. This habit, along with enthusiasm, is
one of the great success secrets. Everyone in this world wears an imaginary button that
screams out "I WANT TO FEEL IMPORTANT AND APPRECIATED!".
24. Be soft as a flower when it comes to kindness but tough as thunder when it comes to
principle. Be courteous and polite at all times but never be pushed around. Ensure that
you are always treated with respect.
25. Never discuss your health, wealth and other personal matters with anyone outside of your
immediate family. Be very disciplined in this regard.
26. Be truthful, patient, persevering, modest and generous.
27. Soak in a warm bath at the end of a long, productive day. Reward yourself for even the
smallest of achievement. Take time out for renewal of your mind, body and spirit. Soon
all your more important goals will be met and you will move to the next level of peak
performance.
28. Learn the power of breathing and its relationship with your energy source. The mind is
intimately connected with your breathing. For example, when the mind is agitated, your
breathing becomes quick and shallow. When you are relaxed and focused, your breathing
is deep and calm. By practicing deep, abdominal breathing, you will develop a calm,
serene demeanor that will remain cool in the hottest of circumstances. Remember the
rule of the Eastern mountain men: "to breathe properly is to live properly."
29. Recognize and cultivate the power of auto suggestion. It works and is an essential tool in
maintaining peak performance. We are all performers in one way or another and it is
particularly valuable to use such techniques of athletes and public figures for our own
enhancement. If you want to become more enthusiastic, repeat "I am more enthusiastic
today and am improving this trait daily". Repeat it over and over. Purchase a legal
notepad and write out this mantra 500 times. Do it for three weeks with regular practice
and feel that this quality is developing. Very soon it will come. This is a strategy that
Indian sages have employed for thousands of years to aid their spiritual and mental
development. Do not be discouraged if the results are not immediate, they will certainly
develop. The spoken word is a powerful influencer of the mind.
30. Maintain a diary to measure your progress and to express your thoughts. Writing out not
only your successes but your troubles is one of the world's most effective methods of
erasing the worry habit, staying in optimum state and developing precision of thought.

Top 200 Secrets of SUCCESS - 2nd 10

By developing
The Top 200 Secrets of Success and the Pillars of Self-Mastery
-- Robin S. Sharma
11. Light a candle beside you when you are reading in the evening. It is most relaxing and
creates a wonderful, soothing atmosphere. Make your home an oasis from the frenzied
world outside. Fill it with great music, great books and great friends.
12. To enhance your concentration and powers of focus, count your steps when you walk.
This is a particularly strong technique. Take six steps while taking a long inhale, hold
your breath for another six steps, and then exhale for six steps. If six steps is too long for
the breaths, do whatever you feel comfortable with. You will feel very alert, refreshed,
internally quiet and centered after this exercise. So many people allow their minds to be
filled with mental chatter. All peak performers appreciate the power of a quiet, clear mind
which will concentrate steadily on all important tasks.
13. Learn to meditate effectively. The mind is naturally a very noisy machine which wants to
move from one subject to another like an unchained monkey. One must learn to restrain
and discipline it if one is to achieve anything of substance and to be peaceful. Meditation
for twenty minutes in the morning and twenty minutes in the evening will certainly
provide you with exceptional results if regularly practiced for six months. Learned sages
of the East have been advancing the many benefits of meditation for over 5000 years.
14. Learn to be still. The average person doesn't spend even 30 minutes a month in total
silence and tranquility. Develop the skill of sitting quietly, enjoying the powerful silence
for at least ten minutes a day. Simply think about what is important to you in your life.
Reflect on your mission. Silence indeed is golden. As the Zen master once said, it is the
space between the bars that holds the cage.
15. Enhance your will-power; it is likely one of the best training programs you can invest in.
Here are some ideas to strengthen your will and become a stronger person:
a. Do not let your mind float like a piece of paper in the wind. Work hard to keep it
focused at all times. When doing a task, think of nothing else. When walking to
work, count the steps that it takes to get all the way to the office. This is not easy
but your mind will soon understand that you hold its reins and not vice versa.
Your mind must eventually become as still as a candle flame in a corner where
there is no draft.
b. Your will is like a muscle. You must first exercise it and then push before it gets
stronger. This necessarily involves short term pain but be assured that the
improvements will come and will touch your character in a most positive way.
When you are hungry, wait another hour before your meal. When you are
labouring over a difficult task and your mind is prompting you to pick up the
latest magazine for a break or to get up and go talk to a friend, curb the impulse.
Soon you will be able to sit for hours in a precisely concentrated state. Sir Issac
Newton, one of the greatest classical physicists the world has produced, once said:
"if I have done the public any service, it is due to patient thought." Newton had a
remarkable ability to sit quietly and think without interruption for very long
periods of time. If he can develop this so can you.
c. You can also build your will-power by restraint in your conduct with others.
Speak less (use the 60/40 Rule = listen 60% of the time and speak a mere 40%, if
that). This will not only make you more popular but you will learn much wisdom
as everyone we meet, every day has something to teach us. Also restrain the urge
to gossip or to condemn someone who you feel has made a mistake. Stop
complaining and develop a cheerful, vital and strong personality. You will greatly
influence others.
d. When a negative thought comes to your mind, immediately replace it with one
that is positive. Positive always dominates over the negative and your mind has to
be conditioned to think only the best thoughts. Negative thinking is a conditioned
process whereby the negative patterns are established over and over. Rid yourself
of any limitations and become a powerful positive thinker.
16. Make an effort to be humorous throughout the day. Not only is it beneficial from a
physical viewpoint but it diffuses tension in difficult circumstances and creates an
excellent atmosphere wherever you are. It was recently reported that members of the
Tauripan tribe of South America have a ritual where they awake in the middle of the
night to tell each other jokes. Even tribesmen in the deepest sleep wake to enjoy the laugh
and then return to their state of slumber in seconds.
17. Become a highly disciplined time manager. There are roughly 168 hours in a week. This
surely allows plenty of time for achievement of the many goals we desire to accomplish.
Be ruthless with your time. Set aside a few minutes each morning to plan your day. Plan
around your priorities and focus on not only those tasks which are immediate but not
important (i.e., many telephone calls) but especially on those which are important but not
urgent, for these allow for the greatest personal and professional development. Important
but not immediate activities are those which produce long-term, sustainable benefits and
include exercise, strategic planning, the development of relationships and professional
education. Never let the things which matter most be placed in the backseat as compared
to those that matter least.
18. Associate only with positive, focused people who you can learn from and who will not
drain your valuable energy with complaining and uninspiring attitudes.

relationships with those committed to constant improvement and the pursuit of the best
that life has to offer, you will have plenty of company on your path to the top of whatever
mountain you seek to climb.
19. Stephen Hawking, one of the great modern physicists of the world, is reported to have
said that we are on a minor planet of a very average star located within the outer limits of
one of a hundred thousand million galaxies. Are your problems really significant in light
of this? You walk this Earth for but a short time. Why not become devoted to having only
a wonderful experience. Why not dedicate yourself to leaving a powerful legacy to the
world? Sit down now and write out a list of all that you have in your life. Start first with
your health or your family - the things we often take for granted. Put down the country
we live in and the food we eat. Do not stop until you have written down fifty items. Once
every few days, go through this list - you will be uplifted and recognize the richness of
your existence.
20. You must have a mission statement in life. This is simply a set of guiding principles
which clearly state where you are going and where you want to be at the end of your life.
A mission statement embodies your values. It is your personal lighthouse keeping you
steadily on the course of your dreams. Over a period of one month, set a few hours aside
to write down five or ten principles which will govern your life and which will keep you
focused at all times. Examples might be to consistently serve others, to be a considerate
citizen, to become highly wealthy or to serve as a powerful leader. Whatever the mission
statement of your life, refine it and review it regularly. Then when something adverse
happens or someone tries to pull you off course, you quickly and precisely return to your
chosen path with the full knowledge that you are moving in the direction that you have
selected.

Top 200 Secrets of SUCCESS - 1st 10

The Top 200 Secrets of Success and the Pillars of Self-Mastery
-- Robin S. Sharma

1. Sleep less. This is one of the best investments you can make to make your life more
productive and rewarding. Most people do not need more than 6 hours to maintain an
excellent state of health. Try getting up one hour earlier for 21 days and it will develop
into a powerful habit. Remember, it is the quality not the quantity of sleep that is
important. And just imagine having an extra 30 hours a month to spend on the things that
are important to you.
2. Set aside one hour every morning for personal development matters. Meditate, visualize
your day, read inspirational texts to set the tone of your day, listen to motivational tapes
or read great literature. Take this quiet period to vitalize and energize your spirit for the
productive day ahead. Watch the sun rise once a week or be with nature. Starting the day
off well is a powerful strategy for self-renewal and personal effectiveness.
3. Do not allow those things that matter the most in your life be at the mercy of activities
that matter the least. Every day, take the time to ask yourself the question "is this the best
use of my time and energy?" Time management is life management so guard your time
with great care.
4. Use the rubber band method to condition your mind to focus solely on the most positive
elements in your life. Place a rubber band around your wrist. Each time a negative,
energy sapping thought enters your mind, snap the rubber band. Through the power of
conditioning, your mind will associate pain with negative thinking and you will soon
possess a strongly positive mindset.
5. Always answer the phone with enthusiasm in your voice and show your appreciation for
the caller. Good phone manners are essential. To convey authority on the line, stand up.
This will instill further confidence in your voice.
6. Throughout the day we all get inspiration and excellent ideas. Keep a set of cards (the
size of business cards; available at most stationary stores) in your wallet along with a
pencil to jot down these insights. When you get home, put the ideas in a central place
such as a coil notepad and review them from time to time. As noted by Oliver Wendell
Holmes: "Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original
dimensions."
7. Set aside every Sunday evening for yourself and be strongly disciplined with this habit.
Use this period to plan your week, visualize your encounters and what you want to
achieve, to read new materials and inspirational books, to listen to soft soothing music
and to simply relax. This habit will serve as your anchor to keep you focused, motivated
and effective throughout the coming week.
8. Always remember the key principle that the quality of your life is the quality of your
communication. This means the way you communicate with others and, more
importantly, the way you communicate with yourself. What you focus on is what you get.
If you look for the positive this is what you get. This is a fundamental law of Nature.
9. Stay on purpose, not on outcome. In other words, do the task because it is what you love
to do or because it will help someone or is a valuable exercise. Don't do it for the money
or the recognition. Those will come naturally. This is the way of the world.
10. Laugh for five minutes in the mirror each morning. Steve Martin does. Laughter activates
many beneficial chemicals within the body that place us into a very joyous state.
Laughter also returns the body to a state of balance. Laughter therapy has been regularly
used to heal persons with varied ailments and is a wonderful tonic for life's ills. While the
average 4 year old laughs 500 times a day, the average adult is lucky to laugh 15 times a
day. Revitalize the habit of laughter, it will put far more living into your life.

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT:

It is nothing but strengthening the capacity of subjective dimensions of
personality to interact more and more effectively and efficiently in the
objective levels in which the personality has to operate.

Motivation Quotes

You cannot plough a field by turning it over in your mind.

-Author Unknown

MEDITATION

Select a quiet space and environment that is free from distractions.
Prepare for your time by refraining from drinking and eating one hour prior
to meditating.
Select your mantra. This is a word or a sound without lots of meanings or
associations for you. It is a mental device to help achieve deep relaxation.
Words such as calm, quiet, love and harmony have been used a s a mantra.
Choose a word that fits you! Your will repeat this word as you free your mind
from many thoughts as you relax.
Find a comfortable place to sit.
Find a spot away from direct light hitting your face.
Loosen your clothing and your shoes.
Sit quietly for a minute and relax.
Close your eyes. Softly say your mantra out loud. Then repeat your mantra
softer, then in a whisper, then silently to yourself. You will find with practice
that you can think and hear your mantra. You will find that you are relaxing
deeper and deeper.
Assume a passive attitude. Allow any and all distracting thoughts to move and
flow. Go and flow with the thoughts…There is no need to try and control
them or to allow the thoughts to be a bother…Let these thoughts go and pass..
Return to your mantra.
Meditation is your time to be quiet and to be at peace.
Your meditating time is to relax.
Meditate for ten to twenty minutes.
When you are ready, take a couple of minutes to transition from you
meditation. Keep your eyes closed. Focus on what has happened.
Move slowly. Open your eyes slowly.
Practice your meditation twice a day.
Some find it helpful early in the morning and in the evening, while others
prefer mid-morning and late afternoon.
Find times that suit you.

Fear of rejection

Fear of rejection can lead to a vicious cycle of rejection.
Fiona, a marketing specialist of one of the biggest malls in town, offered
her hand to her client and then she stood up and walked out of the
room with her head held high. She was feeling so victorious after
closing a million-dollar deal with a mall sponsor who agreed to shoulder
the advertising expense for their new world campaign. She can already
hear her voice singing as she got inside her car and started the ignition.
To an onlooker, Fiona is a successful woman of the world, who would
stop at nothing to get what she wants. Of course he is right. However,
the description would not have fit Fiona if it was made ten years ago,
when she was still just out of college and pleasing everyone due to her
fear of being rejected.
Yes Virginia, there are skeletons in Fiona's closets but those are
skeletons she would rather hang out in the often for everyone to see so
that they may learn from her experience.
You see, Fiona was barely out of college and she had this unreasonable
fear that she was not doing the right thing and that other people would
not accept her for what she really is. Deep inside, Fiona felt she was
talented and beautiful but when faced with all the girls who were more
experienced in life and career, she began to feel insecure and resorted
to mimicking whatever they were doing or even what they were
wearing.
The fear of rejection may have haunted each one of us at one time or
another, It may be caused by our fear of being and living alone, too
much dependence on other people's perception of us, lack of confidence
and inability to control our own life.
Fear of rejection is a state of mind that makes a person feel inadequate,
helpless and worthless. It inhibits a person from doing or saying things
because of the fear that other people might not accept him or
disapprove of his actions and words.
A person who is so concerned about what others may think of him could
make his own life miserable because he can no longer speak his own
mind nor do things that he would normally do on his own. The fear of
rejection can paralyze a person and discourage him from being
productive.
A person's uniqueness disappears the moment he puts primary
emphasis on what others want him to be. A person too caught up with
pleasing others will start to emulate other people from the way they
dress and the way they behave in society.
This usually happens to young people who crave attention and
acceptance but do not yet have enough basis for self acceptance. This
is detrimental to a person's growth because there is no more room for
self expression, only of self denial and the thought of pleasing others.

A person who fears being rejected can be characterized as:

1. A person who acts without confidence - A person who is not sure of
himself will tend to imitate others and keep himself from trying new
things. Such lack of confidence will ultimately make such person
unhappy and bitter.
2. Keeps opinion to himself - A person who is not vocal about his
perception of things may be having trouble with rejection. He may keep
from voicing out his opinion for fear of being criticized.
3. Usually depressed - A person who does not have the freedom to
speak for himself and to express his wants will soon become depressed
and will no longer have a love for life. He will tend to act like a remote control
robot that can not make his own decisions.
4. Confused about his true identity- A person who has fears of being
rejected will end up confused about who he really is. This will lead to an
identity crisis and will make him angry at himself and at other people for
no reason at all.
5. Lack of self esteem and self worth-A person who gives more
importance to what others may think of him does not have much faith in
himself to start with. This lack of self esteem may have resulted from
feelings of rejection instilled in him by his family or friends.

A person who fears rejection will ultimately be rejected by the people he
wants to please and who love him dearly. A person who has the
tendency to please other people will soon get sucked into a difficult
cycle of rejection. His behavior will keep the people he cares about
alienated from him. He sees this as a rejection and then the cycle goes
on and on.

What are the natural enemies of self confidence?

Fear: The Natural Enemy of Self Confidence

Self-Confidence is generally described as the ability of an individual to
have faith and believe in his/her abilities. According to psychiatrists
when one has self-confidence it normally results in having great selfesteem.
Self-esteem is defined as the “worth” that one can place on himself. It is
his measurement of his own value as a person, in agreement to his
behavior.
In addition, it is referred to as the respect and adoration in which one
holds himself based on ones belief of what and who he is as a human
being. This greatly affects one’s feelings about himself, about his life,
about his relationships, and eventually determines his actions or how he
accomplishes things.
The progress and growth of self-confidence correctly starts with self
examination. The mind should be thoroughly inspected so that
detrimental inclinations are checked, weaknesses are eliminated, and a
right pattern of thought and behavior are established firmly.
According to studies fear is man's enemy hindering self confidence.
These studies stressed clearly that ”fear thought” is an illness that can
be detected and identified. It largely arises from corrupt mental pattern,
wherein the mind is allowed consistently to dwell on doubtful thoughts,
inefficiency and failure. This power will become great, when freely
allowed, affecting your life to a less or greater degree in virtually every
undertaking.
Ignorance is the basic and prime cause of fear, that when one is not
aware of his “true nature”. A study showed that when one was
convinced or has encountered his indestructible infinite “soul-nature”,
then one would never feel fear. However, there are those who cannot or
do not accept this, thus they feel separate, vulnerable, susceptible and
isolated.
Fear of one’s self is demonstrated in several ways. You can experience
shyness, diffidence, bashfulness, timidity and a need of “selfconfidence”.
Here are some factors that contribute to one’s fear:
1. When we feel separated, fear increases. A fact is that one does not
fear those he is familiar with (people and surroundings). Fear arises
when there is a certain feeling of estrangement, which exhibits overall
sense or impression of suspicion.
2. Attachment to individuals as well as material things associated with
one’s security cause one to fear that one might loose them, so one will
do everything in order to protect one’s relationships, possessions or his
self-image.
3. Strange surroundings and unfamiliar people bring about fear.
Unfamiliar situations threat one’s security and usually one reacts with
extreme caution and at times, defensive behavior.
4. One’s negative memory of past experiences where one had either
suffered or witnessed loss, harm or death aggravates fear. The
subconscious retains memories of the past and at certain circumstances,
these are ignited.
5. Imagination at times can create or invent images of trouble, suffering
or pain outside physical truth or reality. Note that Imagination is never
negative, however when misused and abused, it can bring so much fear
in oneself.

Combat fear by developing self-confidence. Here are few guidelines:

1. Emphasize your strengths. Focus on what it is that you are capable
of achieving and praise yourself for your strength and your struggle
than focusing on the results. Beginning on a foundation of things that
you are capable rather than what should you be doing will help you live
and work within your limitations.
2. Talk to yourself. Examine yourself and practice how to handle
situations as well as counter negative ones. Know when to stop when
you catch yourself in a negative assumption.
For instance, when you find yourself demanding perfection, tell yourself
that everything can not result perfectly. This will allow you to believe in
yourself at the same time that you are striving to get better.
3. Evaluate yourself. Practice how to independently evaluate yourself.
This will let you avoid the persistent sense of confusion that results
when you are relying completely on the opinions and judgment of
others.
4. Take those risks. When you face and accept experiences as
instruments for learning than possibilities to lose or win, new
opportunities can be unlocked and this can develop your self awareness
and acceptance.
Remember, self-confidence can be developed, not inherited; and fear
can be overcome because you have the trust and the faith in yourself to
do so.

Today's Quote

The mistake is that we cling to the body when it is the spirit that is really immortal.
Complete Works, 4: 244

What is self-confidence?

How to gain self confidence
Today is one of those days when your group has to make a presentation
to a client. This is an important occasion because it is an opportunity to
get your boss' attention. It could mean a raise or a promotion if you
could just muster the courage to stand there in front of these people
and present your proposal. The problem is, your shyness gets the
better of you, and you are relegated to the background.
You sat there mesmerized, as your colleague Elena made a winning
presentation of your proposal. She stood there, dressed in a simple
gray suit that spelled confidence! "Why can't I gather enough courage
to present my work to these people when I know this project like the
back of my hand," you ask yourself.
Self confidence. This is what you lack, and this is what your colleague
Elena has. But what is self confidence? Is it the ability to speak in a
loud voice so you can get people's attention? Is it about power
dressing?
Self confidence is an attitude that is characterized by a positive belief
that one can take control of one's life and of one's plans.
People who are self confident are those who acknowledge their capacity
to do something and then proceed to do these things. They do not rely
on the approval of other people in order to affirm their existence. It is
enough that they know they have the capacity and the potential to do
something, and the guts to do it no matter what others may say.
People who are self confident take advantage of the opportunities that
comes their way.
Factors in gaining self confidence
While the process of attaining self confidence starts from childhood, an
adult can still gain self confidence through his determination and
through the support of his family and friends.
Parental support and acceptance
People begin to develop confidence while growing up. The role of
parents in instilling self confidence in their children is very important.
Parents who are always critical of their children without acknowledging
the latter's strengths unknowingly dampen the development of their self
confidence.
On the other hand, parents who are always willing to give support while
encouraging their children to take a step forward will most likely rear
self confident children. Parents who make their children feel loved and
accepted despite their imperfections will most likely encourage self
confidence.
Lack of self confidence is not proportional to a person's abilities. In fact,
there are people who are extremely talented and able but they lack self
confidence to show these abilities.
If you are wanting in self confidence, then you must continuously do
things that will help you gain confidence.
Identify your strengths and weaknesses and capitalize on that. Make
full use of your strength and gather positive points. This will help you
gain self confidence. Do not expect everything to be perfect because
you are bound to do something wrong along the way. Nobody is perfect
and everyone is culpable of making mistakes.
Acknowledge your abilities and talent and take stock of them. Do not
under estimate yourself. Try to recognize every little thing you have
done which has become successful. Try to learn a new skill, and try to
learn new things as this will make you a better person.
Look for things that make you feel good about yourself. It can be
photos of past achievements like when you won a race or won a debate;
it can be a poem you wrote which was published in a book. Concentrate
on things that you have achieved and take it from there. This will give
you more confidence to do other things in life.
Developing self confidence is not easy especially if you do not think
highly of yourself. If you want to be self confident, avoid things that will
discourage you from gaining confidence. Do not dwell on past mistakes
or failures because it will make you feel insignificant. Being a defeatist
will not give your confidence a boost.
Better yet, concentrate on the positive things that you have done and
accomplished and make them your inspiration. In time, you will have
more faith in yourself, and hopefully, more confidence.
In the upcoming chapter we will narrow our focus, look at the specifics
and come up with definitive ideas and suggestions that you can put to
work in your life to achieve increased confidence in all you do.

Today's Quote

What is the world that is to be given up? It is here. I am carrying it all with me. My own body. It is all for this body that I put my hand voluntarily upon my fellow human beings, just to keep it nice and give it a little pleasure. It is all for the body that I injure others and make mistakes.
Complete Works, 4: 244

Responsibility

A duty which becomes a desire will ultimately become a delight.

--George Gritter

People with character accept responsibilities. They make decisions and determine their own destiny in life. Accepting responsibilities involves taking risks and being accountable which is sometimes uncomfortable. Most people would rather stay in their comfort zone and live passive lives without accepting responsibilities. They drift through life waiting for things to happen rather than making them happen. Accepting responsibilities involves taking calculated, not foolish, risks. It means evaluating all the pros and cons, then taking the most appropriate decision or action. Responsible people don't think that the world owes them a living.

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot enrich the poor by impoverishing the rich.
You cannot establish sound security on borrowed money.
You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage pay or .
You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than you earn.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.


--Abraham Lincoln

HOW DO WE DEFINE SUCCESS?

What makes a person successful? How do we recognize success?
To some people, success might mean wealth. To others, it is recognition, good health, good family, happiness, satisfaction, and peace of mind. What this really tells us is that success is subjective. It can mean different things to different people. The definition that I feel summarizes "success" well is:

Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal.

Earl Nightingale

Let's look at these definitions carefully.
"Progressive" means that success is a journey, not a destination. We never arrive. After we reach one goal, we go on to the next and the next and the next.
"Realization" means it is an experience. Outside forces cannot make me feel successful. I have to feel it within myself. It is internal not external.
"Worthy" refers to our value system. Which way are we heading? Positive or negative? Worthiness determines the quality of the journey. That is what gives meaning and fulfillment. Success without fulfillment is empty.
Why? "Goals" are important. Because they give us a sense of direction.
Success does not mean being accepted by everyone. There are some groups I would not want to be accepted by, out of choice. I would rather be criticized by fools than appreciated by unsavory characters.
I define success as a manifestation of good luck that results from inspiration, aspiration, desperation and perspiration; generally in that sequence.

Success and happiness go hand in hand. Success is getting what you want and happiness is wanting what you get!

Existence alone is not success! It is a lot more!
Do more than exist -- live
Do more than touch -- feel
Do more than look -- observe
Do more than read -- absorb
Do more than hear -- listen
Do more than listen -- understand

John H. Rhodes

Creativity In 9 Steps

It's certainly not the only way, but this basic outline of the process may be helpful:
1. Knowledge -- Study, read, learn, ask questions, try to know as much as possible.
2. Preparation -- Decide on a small area or problem, focus, gather all the physical
elements you may need.
3. Relaxation -- Give yourself space, set aside time, clear your mind of other concerns,
eliminate distractions.
4. Play -- Be silly, stupid, have fun, approach the problem in every way you can think of,
even the dumb ones, especially the dumb ones, just let your mind wander, act like a
child, no one is watching.
5. Awareness -- Pay attention to your inner dialogue, ask yourself why you keep going
about things the same way, force yourself to break the rules.
6. Acceptance -- Embrace the stupid, weird, ugly, nonsense, pointless, just let it happen
without feeling that anything is wrong.
7. Record -- Write or draw or video everything, doodle, jot, make notebooks, carry a pad
or recorder with you.
8. Judge -- After you have all the ideas generated then you can begin to edit to try to
make sense of your foolishness, analyze, test.
9. Apply -- If something works even a little bit see if you can develop it further, put the
workable ideas in and play some more.
Repeat as necessary.
You don't have to do these things in order. Don't expect to have great results right away.
It takes a little time to break your mind free from the structure imposed by the outside
world.
--Dan Harlan

Concentration and Meditation

Meditation or dhyana comes after 'dharana' and before 'samadhi' as per the eight-fold practice of Patanjali Yoga. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, dhyana, and samadhi are the eight aspects.

I feel the main emphasis should start from Pratyahara. It means withdrawing our internal sense organs from the external sense objects. For example, our sense organ of taste runs after tasty food, which is sense object; pratyahara means not to allow the sense of taste to succumb to such temptations. The same should be the case with sense of touch, smell, vision, and hearing. We should be able to control our senses. This is a form of conscious detachment of mind from the objects of temptations. With practice, pratyahara is possible.

Next is dharana. It means trying to concentrate the mind on one thought or idea or form of the divine. (The mind would fail to concentrate on that which is not divine, and in a short period of time one will lose all interest in the yoga and in one's attempts at meditation.) Concentration of mind produces the feeling of truth in what one is concentrating upon. Thus, we get feeling of existence or truth in the idea, the thought or the form we are trying to concentrate upon (gradually of course).

By nature the mind is restless, chanchal. It does not want to stay fixed on one object or thought or idea. It wanders here and there. Many thoughts crowd our mind and we feel that we shall never be able to fix it on God. Moreover, many unwanted thoughts spring up from nowhere, and further put the sadhaka in get turmoil. Dirty, passionate, and evil thoughts come from our subconscious mind. There these thoughts lie hidden as samskaras. These are of this birth and many past births! Therefore, one should not get perturbed when bad thoughts come to surface during dhyana and dharana.

How to tackle this problem? One way is to neglect all thoughts, whether good or bad. Just see them as waves rising on the lake of mind, which are sure to subside in course of time. Thus we become sakshi - subject - of our own thought. The second method is to bring the desirable and noble thought or form, like the form of our Ishta, to mind again and again. This is practice or abhyasa.

Suppose there is an old ink pot with dried crust inside it. When we try to clean the ink pot, dirty water comes out initially. But if we continue to pour fresh water repeatedly dirt is cleared and the water coming out is cleaner and cleaner. Same is the case with evil thoughts at the time of meditation. By pouring fresh and clean water of mantra and concentrating on the form of our Ishta, we can soon get rid of bad and dirty thoughts over a period. This period can be one year, ten years, one birth or ten births! It depends on the efforts and Grace of the Guru. But one thing is sure; one has to go through the process, if not today, tomorrow! Therefore one should start today only, howsoever useless and difficult sadhana may appear.

By this we become masters of ourselves. There is no want or deficiency anymore. Feeling of loneliness and helplessness is replaced with feeling of identity with all and total fulfillment in life.

Five dimensions are involved in forming the human personality

These are:

1) physical self, 2) energy self, 3) intellectual self, 4) mental self, and 5) blissful self.
Well-integrated personality is the sum total of harmonious expression of these five dimensions.

Physical self relates to our senses. Proper nourishment and growth of physical faculties is essential by way of balanced diet, recreation, music, and care and concern from near and dear ones. A simple pat on the back for any achievement in life goes a long way to build up confidence. However, discretion and discrimination are the key words in this regard. Otherwise, there is every chance that senses would create havoc by way of infatuation and attachment to the sense objects.
Energy self is somewhat subtler than the first. It relates to metabolism and the gross manifestations of energy (Prana), for insatnce the act of breathing. The control of Prana is achieved by control of anger, anxiety, and restlessness.
Intellectual self concerns with discriminative power and knowledge, what we call "buddhi". In addition to sincere and formal studies, reading other books like biographies of great and noble persons and invigorating literature helps us develop this faculty.
Mental self is related to stress and psychology. Here selflessness, control, concentration, and calmness of mind plays essential role.
Anandamaya Kosha or blissful self is the function of state of being. It calls for remaining calm and unaffected, nay to remain happy, in all the frivolities of world, in neck break competition and struggle, in calamities and disasters, in suffering and loss, in failure and success.

The five fold method to attain to such state of heightened perfection and purity are a) self-effort, b) self-control, c) self-reliance, d) self-sacrifice, and e) self-knowledge. Next, a practical program is needed to make this 'intellectual gymnastic' real in our lives. The simple action plan, to start with, consists of daily physical exercise for ten minutes, reading good literature for half an hour, sincere prayers for two to five minutes, and meditation and yoga for about ten minutes.

What should be the attitude?

We must have these four sorts of ideas. We must have friendship for all; we must be merciful to those who are in misery; when people are happy, we ought to be happy; and to the wicked, we must be indifferent. So with all the subjects those come before us. If the subject is a good one, we shall feel friendly towards it; if the subject of thought is one that is miserable, we must be merciful towards it. If it is good, we must be glad; if it is evil, we must be indifferent. These attitudes of the mind towards the different subjects that come before it will make the mind peaceful. Most of our difficulties in our daily lives come from being unable to hold our minds in this way. For instance, if a man does evil to us, instantly we want to react evil; and every reaction of evil shows that we are not able to hold the mind down; it comes out in waves towards the object and we lose our power. Every reaction in the form of hatred or evil is so much loss to the mind; and every evil thought or deed of hatred, or any thought of reaction, if it is controlled, will be laid in our favour. It is not that we lose thus by thus restraining ourselves; we are gaining infinitely more than we suspect. Each time we suppress hatred, or a feeling of anger, it is so much good energy stored up in our favour, that piece of energy will be converted into higher powers.

Every vicious thought will rebound every thought of hatred which you may have thought, in a cave even, is stored up, and one day come back to you with tremendous power in the form of some misery here. If you project hatred and jealousy, they will rebound on you with compound interest. No power can avert them; when once you have put them in motion, you will have to bear them. Remembering this will prevent you from doing wicked things.

I may remark that this idea explains the ethical theory that you must not hate, and must love. Because, just as in the case of electricity the modern theory is that the power leaves the dynamo and completes the circle back to the dynamo, so with hate and love; they must come back to the source. Therefore, do not hate anybody, because that hatred which comes out from you, in the long run, must come back to you. If you love, that love will come back to you, completing the circle. It is as certain as can be, that every bit of hatred that goes out of the heart of man comes back to him in full force, nothing can stop it; similarly every impulse of love comes back to him.

The great secret is - absence of jealousy. Be always ready to concede to the opinion of your brethren and try always to conciliate. That is the whole secret. Fight on Bravely! Life is short! Give it up to a great cause.

Habits and Character

Every work that we do, every movement of the body, every thought we think, leaves such an impression on the mind-stuff and even when such impressions are not obvious on the surface, they are sufficiently strong to work beneath the surface, subconsciously. What we are every moment is determined by the sum total of these impressions on the mind. What you are just at this moment is the effect of the sum total of all the impressions of your past life. This is really what is meant by character; each man's character is determined by the sum total of these impressions. If good impressions prevail, the character becomes good; if bad, it becomes bad. If a man continuously hears bad words, thinks bad thoughts, does bad actions, his mind will be full of bad impressions; and they will influence his thought and work without his being conscious of the fact. In fact, these bad impressions are always working and their resultant must be evil, and that man will be a bad man; he cannot help it. The sum total of these impressions in him will create the strong motive power for doing bad actions. He will be like a machine in the hands of his impressions, and they will force him to do evil. Similarly, if a man thinks good thoughts and does good works, the sum total of these impressions will be good; and they in a similar manner, will force him to good even in spite of himself. When a man has done so much good work and thought so many good thoughts that there is an irresistible tendency in him to do good, in spite of himself and even if he wishes to do evil, his mind, as the sum total of all his tendencies, will not allow him to do so, the tendencies will turn him back; he is completely under the influence of the good tendencies. When such is the case, a man's good character is said to be established.

If you really want to judge the character of a man, look not at his great performances. Every fool may become a hero at one time or another. Watch a man do his most common action; those are indeed the things that will tell you the real character of a great man. Great occasions rouse even the lowest of human beings to some kind of greatness, but he alone is the really great man, whose character is great always, the same wherever he is.

All the actions that we see in the world, all the movements in human society, and all the works that we have around us, are simply the display of thought, the manifestation of the will of man. Machines or instruments, microprocessors, cities or satellites, all these are simply the manifestations of the will of man; and this will is caused by character, and the character is caused by Karma - the impressions in the mind. As is Karma, so is the manifestation of the will. The men of mighty of mighty will the world has produced have all been tremendous workers - gigantic souls, with wills powerful enough to over-turn worlds, wills they got by persistent work, through ages and ages.

We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care of what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live, they travel so far. Each thought that we think is tinged with our own character, so that for the pure and holy man, even his jests or abuse will have the twist of his own love and purity and do good.

Great work requires great and persistent effort for a long time. Neither need we trouble ourselves if a few fail. It is the nature of things that so many should fall, that troubles should come, that tremendous difficulties should arise, that selfishness and all other devils in human heart should struggle hard when they are about to be driven out by the fire of spirituality. The road to the good is the roughest and steepest in the universe. It is a wonder that so many succeed no wonder that so many fall. Character has to be established through thousand stumbles.

The mind, to have non-attachment, must be clear, good and rational. Why should we practise? Because each action is like the pulsations quivering over the surface of the lake. The vibration dies out, and what is left? The impressions. When a large number of these impressions are left on the mind, they coalesce and become a habit. It is said, "Habit is second nature," it is first nature also, and the whole nature of man; everything that we see is the result of habit. That gives us consolation, because, if it is only habit, we can make and unmake it at any time. The impressions are left by these vibrations passing out of our mind, each one of them having its result. Our character is the sum total of these marks, and according as some wave prevails, one takes that tone. If good prevails, one becomes good; if wickedness, one becomes wicked; if joyfulness, one becomes happy. The only remedy for bad habits is counter habits. All the bad habits that have left their impressions are to be controlled by good habits.

Go on doing good, thinking holy thoughts continuously. That is the only way to suppress base impressions. Never say a man is hopeless, because he only represents a character, a bundle of habits, which can be checked by new and better ones. Character is repeated habits, and repeated habits can alone reform character.

What is character?

Every action and thought of ours leaves an impression in our mind. These impressions determine how we behave at a given moment, how we respond to a given situation. The sum total of all our impressions is what determines our character. The past has determined the present. Even so the present - our present thoughts and actions - will shape our future. This is the key principle governing personality development.

Necessity to Know our Mind

We intend to do many things – make resolutions to cultivate good habits, to kick certain bad habits, to study with concentration, to do something with a concentrated mind. Very often our mind rebels, forcing us to beat a retreat from our efforts at implementing our resolutions. A book is open before us, and our eyes are open. But the mind has started wandering, thinking about some past events or some future plans. The same thing happens when we sit for a few minutes trying to pray or think of a divine name or form. Says swami Vivekananda: “Free! We who cannot for a moment govern our own minds, nay, cannot hold our minds on a subject, focus it on a point to the exclusion of everything else for a moment! Yet we call ourselves free. Think of it!

Today's Quote

It is always for greater joy that you give up the lesser. This
is practical religion—the attainment of freedom,
renunciation. Renounce the lower so that you may get the
higher. Renounce! Renounce! Sacrifice! Give up! Not for
zero. Not for nothing. But to get the higher.

Complete Works, 4: 244

Personality development by swami vivekananda-2

2. Have Control

The science of Yoga claims that it has discovered the laws which develop the personality and by proper attention to those laws and methods, each one can grow and strengthen his personality. This is one of the great practical things and this is the secret of all education. This has a universal application. In the life of the householder, in the life of the poor, the rich, the man of business, the spiritual man, in everyone's life, it is a great thing, the strengthening of this personality. There are laws, very fine which are behind the physical laws as we know. That is to say, there are no such realities as a physical world, a mental world, a spiritual world. What ever is, is one. Let us say, it is a sort of tapering existence; the thickest part is here, it tapers and becomes finer and finer. The finest is what we call spirit; the grossest, the body. And just as it is herein microcosm, it is exactly the same in the macrocosm. The universe of ours is exactly like that; it is the gross external thickness, and it tapers into something finer and finer until it becomes God.

We also know that the greatest power is lodged in the fine, not in the coarse. We see a man take up a huge weight, we see his muscles swell, and all over his body we see signs of exertion, and we think the muscles are powerful things. But it is the thin thread like things, the nerves, which bring power to the muscles; the moment one of these threads is cut off from reaching the muscles, they are not able to work at all. These tiny nerves bring the power from something still finer; and that in its turn brings it from something finer still - thought and so on. So, it is the fine that is really the seat of power. Of course, we can see the movements in the gross; but when fine movements take place, we cannot see them. When a gross thing moves, we catch it, and thus we naturally identify movement with things which are gross. But all the power is really in the fine. We do not see any movement in the fine, perhaps, because the movement is so intense that we cannot perceive it. But if by any science, any investigation, we are helped to get hold of these finer forces which are the cause of the expression, the expression itself will be under control. There is a little bubble coming from the bottom of the lake; we do not see it coming all the time, we see it only when it bursts on the surface; so we can perceive thoughts only after they develop a great deal, or after they become actions, we constantly complain that we have no control over our actions, over our thoughts. But how can we have it? If we can get control over the fine movements, if we can get hold of thought at the root, before it has become thought, before it has become action, then it would be possible for us to control the whole. Now, if there is a method by which we can analyse, investigate, understand, and finally grapple with those fine powers, the finer causes, then alone it is possible to have control over ourselves, and the man who has control over his own mind assuredly will have control over every other mind. That is why purity and morality has been always the object of religion; a pure, moral man has control of himself. And all the minds are the same, different parts of one Mind. He who knows one lump of clay has known all the clay in the universe. He, who knows and controls his own mind, knows the secret of every mind and has power over every mind.

Now, a good deal of our physical evil we can get rid of, if we have control over the fine parts; a good many worries we can throw off, if we have control over the fine movements; a good many failures can be averted, if have control over these fine powers

Personality development by swami vivekananda-1

Personality Development - Swami Vivekananda A number of passages, full of energy, and full of life, from The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda has been compiled and published as a small booklet by 'Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama, Mysore'. This book came to me at a crucial time in my life and has had a great impact on my personality. I take pleasure in sharing this great source of inspiration and knowledge.

1. It's Personality that matters You see what is happening all around us. The world is one of influence. Part of our energy is used up in the preservation of our own bodies. Beyond that, every particle of our energy is day and night being used in influencing others. Our bodies, our virtues, our intellect and our spirituality, all these are continuously influencing others; and so, conversely, we are being influenced by them. This is going on all around us. Now, to take a concrete example, a man comes; you know he is very learned, his language is beautiful, and he speaks to you by the hour; but he does not make any impression. Another man comes, and he speaks a few words, not well arranged, ungrammatical perhaps; all the same, he makes an immense impression. So it is evident that words alone cannot always produce an impression. Words, even thoughts, contribute only one third of the influence in making an impression, the man two thirds. What you call the personal magnetism of the man - that is what goes out and impresses you. In our families, there are the heads; some of them are successful, others are not. Why? We complain of others in our failure. The moment I am unsuccessful, I say so-and-so is the cause for the failure. In failures, one does not like to confess one's own faults and weaknesses. Each person tries to hold himself faultless and lay the blame upon somebody or something else, or even on bad luck. When heads of families fail, they should ask themselves, why is it that some persons manage a family so well and others do not then you will find that the difference is owing to the man - his presence, his personality. Coming to great leaders of mankind, we always find that it was the personality of the man that counted. Now, take all the great authors of the past, the great thinkers. Really speaking, how many thoughts have they thought? Take all the writings that have been left to us by the past leaders of mankind; take each one of their books and appraise them. The real thoughts, new and genuine that have been thought in this world up to this time, amount only a handful. Read in their books the thoughts they have left to us. The authors do not appear to be giants to us, and yet, we know that they were great giants in their days. What made them so? Not simply the thoughts they thought, neither the books they wrote, nor the speeches they made, it was something else that is now gone, that is their personality. As I have already remarked, the personality of the man is two-thirds and his intellect, his words are but one-third. It is the real man, the personality of the man, that runs through us. Our actions are but effects. Actions must come when the man is there; the effect is bound to follow the cause. The ideal of education, all training, should be this man-making. But instead of that, we are always trying to polish up the outside. What use in polishing up the outside when there is no inside? The end and aim of all training is to make the man grow. The man who influences, who throws his magic, as it were, upon his fellow-beings, is a dynamo of power, and when that man is ready, he can do anything and everything he likes; that personality put upon anything will make it work.

What is Personality?

It’s the image of one self and how we cut across others in society. Personality is what we perceive in our mind. What is inside, the thoughts or the conflict inside contributes greatly to our physical appearance too. There is a certain image that we hold of ourselves and that is what is projected outside. If a person in physically attractive then he or she uses it to their advantage to wiggle their way out of an unpleasant situation. Personality therefore is what you are and it’s your identity. Sometimes we live in this mirage that we are very successful and therefore tend to live in an unreal world when the situation is quite the opposite.