Find Your Weaknesses

In his "The Law of success", Napoleon Hill rightly observed that most successful people only became successful after discovering and correcting the weakness in their person and character. I have often heard people argue that knowing your strengths and building on it guarantees success, but I think differently.

Knowing your weak points and striving to correct them, is as important, if not even more important, than knowing your strengths.

Your weaknesses - the most dangerous being selfishness, greed, jealousy, revenge, egoism, lust, conceit and wanting to reap where you did not sow; could destroy you faster than your strengths would uplift you.

In fact, whatever strengths you posses would only successfully uplift your body and mind if they are not counter-balanced by your weakness. The weakness in our traits often tend to hide our strengths; it is by correcting these weakness that anyone can fully tap into their strengths and make success out of it.

Make it a point of duty, from now on, to identify your weaknesses. Ask colleagues, friends, or classmates to assess you; it is often difficult for relatives to say the truth about our characters, but real friends and colleagues should be sincere about their opinions.

Once you identify your weaknesses, start doing everything you can to correct them. If people describe you as selfish, start forcing yourself to share everything you possibly can; if you are egocentric and/or greedy, learn to think about others and their emotions and you'll be moved to act along this line; if you're revengeful, strive to always let people know when they've hurt you and their apologies might soften your heart.

Always remember that your weaknesses are the major barrier between you and happiness/success. You would only be eternally successful, if you identify and correct them.



Words For Today
Nobody needs a smile so much as the one who has none to give.
So get used to smiling heart warming smiles,
and you will spread sunshine in a sometimes dreary world
Lawrence G. Lovasik

The most effective way to achieve right relations
with any living thing is to look for the best in it,
and then help that best into the fullest expression.
Unknown

Read More...

Summary only...

How To Be Happy

In the last four posts, I have extensively discussed some of the habits we must build to lead a happier life. However, it is easily enough said that happiness comes with a cheerful and outgoing disposition, with having positive self esteem and attitude and/or with building and maintaining loving relationships, but the problem is, how can we build or strengthen such traits?

In the last four posts, I have extensively discussed some of the habits we must build to lead a happier life. However, it is easily enough said that happiness comes with a cheerful and outgoing disposition, with having positive self esteem and attitude and/or with building and maintaining loving relationships, but the problem is, how can we build or strengthen such traits?

It is often argued that our basic personality, especially after childhood, is difficult to change; that traits like emotional stability, openness and outgoingness seem to persist after childhood. Although there is some truth in this, it is also true that we have the power to influence our destinies. Each and every one of us is a creator, as well as a creature of his social world. We can decide what we want with our lives and pursue this course.

More importantly, social psychologists have proven, over the last few decades that the actions we take leave a residue in us. Every time we act, the underlying idea or tendency behind the action gets amplified. This shows that our traits and attitudes are greatly influenced by our behaviors. The long and short of this is that, if you want to be happy, start acting happy right away. Each time you smile at somebody or something, the tendency to smile increases in you; each time you reach out and mix with people, the tendency to be more friendly increases in you and each time you show gratitude for what life has endowed you with, you become happier and more contented.


Do not expect to change your life in one day; that's impossible. But with every action in the right direction, you get closer to what you want your life to be like. Do you want to change something about your life? Maybe you want to boost your self esteem, become more optimistic and socially assertive, or you just want to be more outgoing and friendly to people. The best approach is to start doing that very thing right NOW. Pretend self-esteem. Feign optimism. Simulate outgoingness. Don't worry that it doesn't feel like you NOW, remember that it's always like that when you step into new roles, perhaps your first day as a parent, teacher or salesperson. After sometime, these attitudes no longer feel like you're pretending, they gradually become a part of you.

So, if you want to be happy, start 'acting' happy right NOW.


Words for Today

The greatest thing is this world is not so
Much about where we are, but in what direction
We are moving
Oliver Wendel Holmes


Human felicity is produced not so much by
great pieces of good fortunes that seldom happen
as little adventures that occur everyday
Benjamin Franklin


Do You Know That...

Mosquito repellants don't repel, they hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6feet from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush


Uncommon Wisdom
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Read More...

Summary only...

Gratitude

Gratitude is a commonly misunderstood concept. But without going into much detail, it suffices to say that gratitude involves showing appreciation for everything life has offered you; from the very minute to the very conspicuous blessing in your life. Gratitude enables us to reach down within us, it shows us the numerous blessings life has been generous enough to endow us with, and by these, gratitude lead us to contentment and happiness.

Gratitude is a commonly misunderstood concept. But without going into much detail, it suffices to say that gratitude involves showing appreciation for everything life has offered you; from the very minute to the very conspicuous blessing in your life. Gratitude enables us to reach down within us, it shows us the numerous blessings life has been generous enough to endow us with, and by these, gratitude lead us to contentment and happiness.

There are a lot of things in your life worth appreciating and until you look within and appreciate these favors, happiness would remain elusive. By appreciating what you are, you gain a better perception of yourself, instead of what someone else wants you to believe. It becomes easier to build courage and self esteem, you become capable of taking control of your life, instead of blaming everything on someone else; and consequently, you become a happier person.

In same light, by showing gratitude for what you have; the little successes you have had in life, it becomes easier to believe in yourself and your ability to succeed. You learn to magnify your little success, so that they overshadow your fear of failure. Success then comes to your more often and more easily and with this comes fulfillment and lasting happiness.

When you learn to show gratitude to the people around you, those inspiring smiles from your neighbor, that beautiful remark from your co-worker, those loving kisses from your spouse, all these come together, so that at the end of the day, you find yourself happier, more friendly to people around you and more lovable.

Gratitude opens the door to lasting happiness.

Starting from NOW, search within you everyday and find something to be grateful for. Write out every success you've had in life and remind yourself of these, every time failure stares you in the face. Don't let those inspiring smiles you get go unappreciated. Learn to smile more often, be more friendly, go out of your way to help people when the need arises. And before you know it, happiness would flow into your life and become a part of it.


Words for Today

Cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight
In the mind, and it fills it with a steady
And perpetual serenity
Joseph Addison


We secure our friends, not by accepting favors,
But by doing them
Thucydides

Read More...

Summary only...

Paths to Happiness [3]

Good Relationship
As far fetched as it seems, maintaining good relationship with people close to you could indeed bring lasting happiness. Much of the depression and pessimism that is prevalent today could be attributed to the growth of individualism in the world. Everybody has become an island that wants to survive on its own. Our fathers didn't live their lives this way.

There is a lot to be gained from building and maintaining loving relationships with people close to you. When you are in love, there is always a listening ear when you need to be heard and a shoulder to lean on, when you are in tears. More importantly, there is someone to share your happiness, aspirations and ambitions with. Extroverts are always happy because they mix with people, make friends and build relationships easily. They like themselves, like people around them and are confident that they will be liked too. As a result, they are always likeable. Why? Because they go out of their way to make friends and build relationships.

We can't all be extroverts, but in your own way, reach out to the people around you. Make new friends and make sure that old friends count. Be concerned about others and you'll be liked in exchange. As small it as it seems, a single smile from someone you care about might be enough to wipe out your worries.

You won't find lasting happiness if your problems and failures, your visions, ambitions and successes all remain within you. There is a lot of joy in sharing, especially those intimate feelings of the heart. Go make some new friends today and start building your own network of happy people.

Words for Today

Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as you ever can
John Wesley

Our lives are a reflection of our habits
More than our education
Anonymous

Read More...

Summary only...

Paths to Happiness [2]

Positive Attitude
We started on the 'Paths to Happiness' yesterday, and I said building the foundation for enduring happiness requires a positive self esteem. If 'loving yourself' and building a positive image of yourself prepares the foundation for happiness, then maintaining a positive attitude, at all times, builds a lasting structure on that foundation.

We all know that it is easy to 'feel good' about yourself and what you doing when things are going as planned, but what about when things get real bad. The real test of your faith in the self comes when failure hits you hard on the face; when something you've devoted your best to, suddenly comes crashing. While positive attitude is vital in our everyday life, it becomes even more important in situations like this.

People who have a positive view of life, who are optimistic enough to take everything life serve them; good or bad, with a smile and still move on, are the real 'happy people'. Someone once said 'the ability to see the good in every situation is worth more than a million dollars'.

However, positive thinking is not a thing you achieve overnight; it's a habit you have to develop. It takes faith and strong will to remain positive when things aren't so good, but it helps. When you can see a glass of water as 'half full', instead of ‘half empty’ and that, it is 'darkest just before dawn', a deeper understanding of life dawns on you. You feel empowered to take control of your life, and whatever happens, you'll still find the strength to believe in your life.

People that have developed a positive attitude towards life don't spend their life crying over failures; they learn from it and move on. They don't expect people to show them the path to follow; they take their lives as their responsibility and whatever happens, they don't blame anybody. They live their life 'one day at a time’; they don't worry about tomorrow’s challenges and refuse to cry over yesterday's failures. And the result is, they are always happy, healthy and successful.

Words For Today

Nobody has things just as he would like them. The thing to do is to make a success with what material I have. It is a sheer waste of time and soulpower to imagine what I would do if things were different. They are not different.
Dr. Frank Crane

Read More...

Summary only...