How do you see yourself ?

Take a pen and paper and write down five positive adjectives that best describe you. Did you have difficulty in writing it? Now can you list out at least 2 negative adjectives that reflect an aberration in your personality? If you can immediately list our more than 2 negative traits it could possibly indicate a that you have an anxiety about yourself. The good news though is that almost everyone would have experienced this in varying degrees. Successful people have developed the art of focusing on the positives and thereby taking proactive steps to attaining those. The challenge for us then is to reorient our way of thinking and then achieve the success we seek.

It may not be apparent, but for sure every individual has it in him or her, the ability to exceed their own expectations. Let us begin by checking out a couple of well know achievers whose initial failures in academics should have been reason enough to make them give up their dreams.  Winston Churchill wasn’t exactly known for his academic prowess, yet his is amongst the first name that comes up when talking about the world war years. David Attenborough, the celebrated naturalist once addressed a graduating class with a specific speech directed at the failures of the class for he said he could identify with them as he was amongst the academic failures in his school days. On the other end of the spectrum, toppers in academics are by and large expected to be a success in their chosen field of endeavor. So it is not too surprising that Dr.Abdul Kalam became a leading scientist. Yet it was not his professional achievements that were as instrumental in his elevation as President of India as much as it was his own personal integrity and standards coupled with his visionary ways. In recent years, he remains one of India’s best loved public figures.

Many of us would shrug our shoulders at the thought of emulating these respected personalities. What is important though to note, is that each of them was just as human as each of us and for sure they did not ever visualize the sort of success they achieved. What we need to emulate, is the kind of self belief they demonstrated in their daily life, the focus and dedication with which they set about their tasks and the subsequent accolades and achievements were a logical by product of a wholesome personality. To make the best of our strength, abilities, talents and intelligence would be the most succinct way of giving expression to the enormous potential within us.

Pause for a moment and ask yourself if you are doing what you want to do or are pursuing goals largely set by others be it parents, friends, the society around us etc. Social and economic pressures would have a bearing on the choices you make but the biggest mistake one makes is to give up on a passion or goal merely because you let yourself believe that you lacked the ability. It is equally possible that you have not given up on your dreams but merely kept it on the back burner for the opportune moment. What is important to bear in mind here is that you would have to create that opportune moment and not merely have a wistful longing that may never materialize. Finally failure is a very realistic and possible outcome when one embarks on a mission. Use the lessons from the failures to rethink your strategies, rework the plans and remodel the execution without ever changing the goal.

Go look in the mirror now and appreciate the person looking back!

Try this

From the following list choose one or more and try to gain some expertise in the chosen field/s and demonstrate that to an audience within the next 6 months.

• Origami
• Card tricks
• Magic tricks
• Haiku
• Pottery
• Shadowgraphy

Outline a budget for a gift each for the following persons. Find something unique within that budget and gift that to the person at an appropriate time within this calendar year.

• One close family member
• Your best friend
• A child in an orphanage
• Your family doctor
• A surprise gift for a stranger who may do you a good deed.

This post is courtesy www.actspot.com

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