Self improvement and religion might seem like two totally diverse concepts. Many learned people are of the opinion that religion places people in boxes where they have to fit a specified mould, this prevents them from reaching self actualization. Others believe that religion is a vehicle in which a person may embark on a journey of eternal progression. Between these opposite views are some principles which could help you improve.
Most religions have a set of guidelines or standards which governs behaviour, e.g. Christians adhere to the 10 Commandments. By living up to the guidelines, a person will receive rewards (blessings). The standards also prevent believers from indulging in harmful practices. It follows then that a righteous person will be able to progress better with their self improvement.
The guilt believers experience when breaking commandment can have a negative effect on self improvement. Even non-believers experience feelings of guilt to some extent when doing things that bring unhappiness to others. Guilt fills a person with negative feelings and lowers self esteem. These feelings are counter productive to improvement. The process to over come these negative emotions is called repentance. Different religions provide for this in different ways. Part of this process most often involves confession.
Confession can also lift your burdens even if you are non-religious. Just talking about your problem with your closest friend will make you feel better. If you have done some injustice to someone else, just speak to them and iron out your differences. It will make you feel more positive.
Prayer is probably the most used religious principle and can have a real positive influence on self improvement. Prayer is defined as communication with God or a superior being. It is believed that God answers prayers. Religious and non-believers practice prayer in some way or another. Those who pray find strength through the belief that the prayer will be answered, the verbal expression of their needs, the sharing of their dreams and goals motivates them to succeed, belief that they will be assisted in overcoming their problems and feeling that they are not alone in their struggle.
Reading scripture i.e. Holy Bible, Koran, etc can have a positive influence on self improvement. These books abound in examples of people being able to overcome weaknesses and to become more perfect. You don not have to be religious to benefit from reading Holy Scripture.
Being a member of a religious group provides social support to the member. Fellow members understand the need to become more perfect and thus provide support in self improvement efforts. You will most probably find that they are also in turn trying to improve in one way or another.
The most powerful concept offered by religion is that humans are sons and daughters of a God and thus have unlimited potential. This realization can assist believers in motivating themselves to tackle very difficult self improvement projects, knowing that they are very likely to succeed. It also gives them emotional strength and faith to keep on trying when things might look hopeless.
Taking all things into account, maybe self improvement and religion are not as diverse as expected!
Archive for the ‘Self Improvement’ Category
How Religion can Affect Self Improvement
Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010Self Improvement and Success
Thursday, June 3rd, 2010Everything that happens to us happens on purpose. And most times, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past heartaches, embarrassment and failures treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and success.
Say this to yourself … better yet, print it out and post it in a place where you will see it throughout your daily routine:
I Never See Failure As Failure But Only As:
- A learning experience!
- The negative feedback I need to change the course of my direction!
- The opportunity to develop my sense of humor!
- The opportunity to practice my technique and improve my performance!
- THE GAME I MUST PLAY TO WIN!
I remember watching Patch Adams. It’s a great film that will help you improve yourself. Hunter “Patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts – he decided to seek medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward.
His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of people. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded person, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realizes he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still wants to become a doctor.
He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and success. He didn’t only improved himself, but also the lives of the people around him and the quality of life in general. Did he succeed? Absolutely!
So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? Where do we start?
*Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept you if you can’t accept yourself?
*When you see gorgeous models on TV, think more of self improvement, not self pity. That isn’t reality anyway! Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.
*When people feel down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.
*Mistakes are a great way to learn lessons. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on your attempt to achieve something. There’s always a next time. Make room for self improvement.
*Take things one at a time. Don’t expect a black sheep to be renewed in the snap of a finger. Self improvement is a one day at a time process.
*Self improvement results in inner stability, personality development and SUCCESS. It comes from self confidence, self appreciation, self esteem and hard work.
* Set meaningful and achievable goals. If your goals are too far out of whack you will never reach them! Setting attainable goals is one of the keys to success.
*Little things to us may mean BIG things to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.
*When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is doing the same thing. The world is filled with people of different values and attitudes. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, he/she may decline an invitation for self improvement.
You should always remember that there’s no such thing as “over night success.” If it was easy, wouldn’t everyone be doing it? It’s a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have in your possession, but realize that those are just some of the things you once wished for.
A very nice quote says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, officemates, neighbors … they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self improvement, we increase our chances on the road of success.
Build your Self Esteem, a Starter Guide to Self Improvement
Monday, May 31st, 2010So how do you stay calm, composed and maintain self esteem in a tough environment? Here are some tips you may to consider as a starter guide to self improvement.
Imagine yourself as a Dart Board. Everything and everyone else around you may become Dart Pins, at one point or another. These dart pins will destroy your self esteem and pull you down in ways you won’t even remember. Don’t let them destroy you, or get the best of you. So which dart pins should you avoid?
Dart Pin #1 : Negative Work Environment
Beware of “dog eat dog” theory where everyone else is fighting just to get ahead. This is where non-appreciative people usually thrive. No one will appreciate your contributions even if you miss lunch and dinner, and stay up late. Most of the time you get to work too much without getting help from people concerned. Stay out of this, it will ruin your self esteem. Competition is at stake anywhere. Be healthy enough to compete, but in a healthy competition that is.
Dart Pin #2: Other People’s Behavior
Bulldozers, brown nosers, gossipmongers, whiners, backstabbers, snipers, people walking wounded, controllers, naggers, complainers, exploders, patronizers, sluffers… all these kinds of people will pose bad vibes for your self esteem, as well as to your self improvement scheme.
Dart Pin #3: Changing Environment
You can’t be a green bug on a brown field. Changes challenge our paradigms. It tests our flexibility, adaptability and alters the way we think. Changes will make life difficult for awhile, it may cause stress but it will help us find ways to improve our selves. Change will be there forever, we must be susceptible to it.
Dart Pin #4: Past Experience
It’s okay to cry and say “ouch!” when we experience pain. But don’t let pain transform itself into fear. It might grab you by the tail and swing you around. Treat each failure and mistake as a lesson.
Dart Pin #5: Negative World View
Look at what you’re looking at. Don’t wrap yourself up with all the negativities of the world. In building self esteem, we must learn how to make the best out of worst situations.
Dart Pin #6: Determination Theory
The way you are and your behavioral traits is said to be a mixed end product of your inherited traits (genetics), your upbringing (psychic), and your environmental surroundings such as your spouse, the company, the economy or your circle of friends. You have your own identity. If your father is a failure, it doesn’t mean you have to be a failure too. Learn from other people’s experience, so you’ll never have to encounter the same mistakes.
Sometimes, you may want to wonder if some people are born leaders or positive thinkers. NO. Being positive, and staying positive is a choice. Building self esteem and drawing lines for self improvement is a choice, not a rule or a talent. God wouldn’t come down from heaven and tell you – “George, you may now have the permission to build self esteem and improve your self.”
In life, its hard to stay tough specially when things and people around you keep pulling you down. When we get to the battle field, we should choose the right luggage to bring and armors to use, and pick those that are bullet proof. Life’s options give us arrays of more options. Along the battle, we will get hit and bruised. And wearing a bullet proof armor ideally means ‘self change’. The kind of change which comes from within. Voluntarily. Armor or Self Change changes 3 things: our attitude, our behavior and our way of thinking.
Building self esteem will eventually lead to self improvement if we start to become responsible for who we are, what we have and what we do. Its like a flame that should gradually spread like a brush fire from inside and out. When we develop self esteem, we take control of our mission, values and discipline. Self esteem brings about self improvement, true assessment, and determination. So how do you start putting up the building blocks of self esteem? Be positive. Be contented and happy. Be appreciative. Never miss an opportunity to compliment. A positive way of living will help you build self esteem, your starter guide to self improvement.