So I have been thinking about what is important in my personal growth. These are the load bearing beams I want to build myself on, they are the framework that is determining my growth.
Be yourself- At the core of our being we have a bundle of likes and dislikes that make us who we are, wrapped around these are our beliefs and values. This is our identity. Our actions are an expression of this identity filtered through our allegiances and self applied stereotypes. I want to cut through those things and just be me. This does not mean accepting the aspects of my character that I do not like; those aspects are the results of the wrapping of outer identity that we share with the world. We need to learn to take the armor off and live at peace with who we are internally in an external fashion.
Be honest- Being honest is more than just telling the truth it is being able to hear the truth and more importantly act in a truthful manner. We must be honest with ourselves if we are to grow and our actions must be honest to our values, our dream and our commitments if we want them to succeed.
Be confident- Confidence opens the doors of opportunity and possibility. When we are confident our relationship to the world and those who inhabit it changes, we become more prepared to take on greater challenges. We also are more likely to make changes in our lives that stick, and stick to those changes once we make them.
Be compassionate- We exist in a world with other people and we make the world a worse place when we bring suffering on others. People are people living lives just like ours facing hard ships just like ours. They suffer in the same way as us. Suffering is not something that must be conserved like energy, there is not one set amount of suffering that must be shifted from one state to another. Suffering can be created and destroyed. The tools we have to destroy suffering is our words and deeds, these two things can make the world a better place not just for us but those around us. This is something that must be done.
Be persistent- Failure is a part of learning, learning is a part of growing, and growing is a part of becoming the person I want to be. To grow I must fail but I must also not give up, give in or give out. As long as I keep trying to change, keep trying to grow that is enough for me to become what I want to be. One day, one attempt will work and I will learn how to do the things I need to do.
Be aware- We need to connect with now; this is the time and place where we can make change. All our planning to change does no good if we do not put it in to action and the moment is the only place where we can act. So I must be aware of my surroundings, my actions and my experience now, in the moment. If I cannot be here now I will never truly be anywhere. If I cannot act in the moment then my actions will not be effective.
Be playful- Life is not drudgery, we must have fun and enjoyment and seek out these things. If we cannot find time to play, and play is what you want it to be, then all we do is toil. Life is not something to be suffered through it si something to be enjoyed. We learn to suffer, we are taught that life is hard but it is only that way because we make it that way. If we approach everything with an attitude of play, if we seek enjoyment even in the things we have been though to resent it can transform our lives.
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