Self Improvement Success Thinking - Essay Example

Each individual is unique and so is their way of learning. Everyone has to go through personal development. We generally derive inspiration from people around us – could be the family, parents, friends or teachers. We find role models in people and identify ourselves as that. We place ourselves in the character of a movie or a play and find meaning in our own life. I draw inspiration from Sir William Wallace, Scotland’s greatest national hero, who was the spirit of independence and who reminds us what is important in life. The hardships in his life did not deter Sir Wallace. I have drawn great messages from this and believe that the situation or circumstances will not always be as we wish them to be. Our maturity and education directs us to accept what we have and use it to our advantage. Introspection and reflection made me see through my strengths and weaknesses. I was not disturbed at my weaknesses. I analyzed and realized that I get easily distracted. This is where Sir Wallace’s determination to fight against oppression gave me the strength. His unbending commitment was his greatest strength and I decided that if I made a commitment to myself to increase my concentration I would be able to achieve it. When I started switching from one subject to another, when my mind would drift into a dream world during the class lectures, I realized I needed to focus my efforts to improve upon my concentration. I realized that everything is in the mind. If you think success, success will happen. Positive thinking is what matters. That was the day I decided to think positive and act positive. Sir Wallace had a passion for liberty and so have I but to attain this I realized was easier said than done. So I started setting my goals – one step at a time – is how I went about it. I wanted the liberty to think and decide for myself. I used to revolt at restrictions and once again found myself contemplating on what I really wanted. Would I misuse the liberty if I got it? What is the liberty that I was seeking? I realized that liberty is the freedom to choose between the right and the wrong. A matured and educated person would understand the difference between the two and invariably opt for the right. The fact that I decided to set my goals itself made me feel that it was the first step towards liberty. Recognizing the weakness itself was the first step and then the decision to change. It was then that I decided to set my goals. We can make mistakes in our life but mistakes and failures should be the stepping stones to success. We become what we think is what we have all heard so often and I decide to implement it in my life. To improve upon my concentration, initially I allowed myself to believe that my concentration had increased and very soon I found that indeed it had increased. I could prove to myself what determination could do to an individual. In the process I realized that mind cannot and need not be controlled; mind has to be conditioned. We can condition the mind to think and act the way we want. We should not be under the control of the mind; we should be in a position to direct the mind. Accordingly, I made up mind focus on only one thing at a time. I practiced it by focusing on good events or reliving happy moments in my life. When I could do this I was thrilled. If I can concentrate on this and achieve results, why can I not concentrate on what I am doing at this moment or listen to lectures attentively? This gave me great encouragement and I started a daily practice of spending fifteen minutes every morning keeping the mind focused on some event or book. Within three weeks I could see the transformation in myself!!! It was certainly not an easy feat to achieve and there were several occasions when I would get disheartened. Whenever this happened I was reminded of Sir Wallace and his passions. Immediately I could get back to where I had left. The hardships that he faced in his youth did not deter him from his path. All these increased my determination and helped me achieve my goals. For instance on the first day when I decide to sit down quietly for five minutes, I realized I could not go beyond one minute. Then I allowed the mind to wander wherever it wanted to travel without imposing restrictions. Gradually I found that the mind does not want to travel anymore. This led to the realization that when we get freedom to do what we want, we get fed up. We come back to the right path. Slowly things improved and I found I could concentrate on a particular subject. As confidence grew, I increased the time spent on this exercise. I started concentrating on one thing at a time – the first two days I concentrated on the breath, then on the head, the eyes and the nose. I tried to feel all the sensations at that point; I concentrated on all the sounds around me, on the silence around me. I attempted to understand the silence. I tried to figure out the essence of pin-drop silence. Finding time to practice different skills in self-development was initially a bit of a struggle. It was a struggle for time more than a mental struggle. As I increased my practices, I realized that I could go about my usual activities in a much shorter time which itself was time gained. This implies that the time spent on self-development helped me to actually increase the amount of time at hand and I did not have to ‘find’ time to fit it in my busy life. My days were smoother and life was not a mad rush. I would go about my schedules without tension and meet my targets. All I needed to do in the first stage was wake up fifteen minutes earlier than I used to. The most interesting part is that when I felt I had enough time at hand, I could not sleep late! I did not attend many tutorials as I was busy at the library or discussing modules with friends. Discussing with friends also helped me attain clarity and confidence that I was on the right path. When the friends could see some change in me, I felt encouraged. Taking to each other and sharing experiences has also been of immense help. We all realized that hard work and determination is what matters and this strength once again I draw from my role model, Sir William Wallace. I focused on one weakness during this year and am now ready to accept challenges in life. As human beings, we shall always find we can improve in some respect but what we need is the dexterity and the grace to accept them. Once we accept our mistakes or weaknesses, it is half the battle won. The practice this year has helped me to grow in many ways. I have come to believe that the strength that we often seek from some external object or source is in reality lying dormant within us. We just need to awaken to the truth and tap it. Secondly, anyone can work with all facilities and in a congenial atmosphere. The test of a person lies in fighting against the odds and emerging victorious. This is what I derived from the life of Sir Wallace and which urged me to move ahead in life. Thirdly, repentance does not reach us anywhere. We have to forget the past and look into the future. To err is human and to forget is the way ahead. I am ready to take up another challenge in the coming year. I realized that we place limitations on our thinking and activities. These are often self imposed when we try to behave as others want. We want to impress them so we try to limit our acts and thoughts. We need to impress ourselves and derive contentment in life. I derived immense pleasure, an enduring interest and feel enriched with experience during this year. Reflection has certainly increased my capacity to work and realize my own potential. Personal development is a very important part of growth. Curriculum and learning by rote may help only to a small extent in life. What matters ultimately is how we are able to steer ahead in the ocean of life. Student life is such that one can either be in the right direction or move far away from reality. It depends to a great extent on how we allow the hardships and circumstances to impress upon us. Sir Wallace has been a positive influence in my life. He lived out a dream and encourages us to live our dreams! Bibliography: Campbell, R., (n.d.), Sir William Wallace, 11 May 2007 Wars of Independence, 11 May 2007 What Wallace means to me, 11 May 2007 Scotlands past, William Wallace, 11 May 2007 Steele, D., Self Improvement Success Thinking, 11 May 2007 Read More