“Do you know who you are and the potential that lives inside of you, waiting to be released? We are all special, individualized beings capable of admirable accomplishment, and since we are born with the gifts of potential and desire, we need to discover and cultivate them. To know ourselves is to discover our desires and follow our dreams.” Dennis E. Hensley
“People who have a plan for guiding themselves and implement it discover, in the process, who they really are”
An Honest Self-Evaluation
Now let’s take a look at the A to Z of Attitudes & Behaviours that people often Respond to Negatively
Aggressiveness
“The most destructive element in the human mind is fear. Fear creates aggressiveness.”Browbeating
“Hope is the word which God has written on the brow of every man.” Cheating
Disrespectfulness
“A child who is allowed to be disrespectful to his parents will not have true respect for anyone.”
Egotism/selfishness
“Egotism is nature's compensation for mediocrity.”
“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.”
“Forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hate. It is a power that breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.”
Flashiness/showiness
Grumbling/Irritable
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling (1 Peter 4:8-9).”
“There is a particular kind of pain, elation, loneliness, and terror involved in this kind of madness. When you're high it's tremendous. The ideas and feelings are fast and frequent like shooting stars...But, somewhere, this changes. The fast ideas are far too fast, and there are far too many; overwhelming confusion replaces clarity. Everything previously moving with the grain is now against-you are irritable, angry, frightened, uncontrollable...It will never end, for madness carves its own reality.”
Harassment
Inconsiderateness/coldness
“Let us not underestimate the privileges of the mediocre. As one climbs higher, life becomes ever harder; the coldness increases, responsibility increases.”
Jabbing
Kinkiness
Lateness
Morbidness
Negativity
“From the backstabbing co-worker to the meddling sister-in-law, you are in charge of how you react to the people and events in your life. You can either give negativity power over your life or you can choose happiness instead. Take control and choose to focus on what is important in your life. Those who cannot live fully often become destroyers of life.”
Over zealousness
“People are zealous for a cause when they are not quite positive that it is true”
Profanity/Blasphemy
“Profanity is the attempt of a lazy and feeble mind to express itself forcefully”
“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”
Quarrelling/Arguing
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
“In quarreling the truth is always lost”
Reluctance/Unwillingness
“If you are reluctant to ask the way, you will be lost”
“The greatest difficulty with the world is not its ability to produce, but the unwillingness to share.”
Stupidity
“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and consciencious stupidity.”
Talkativeness
“Labels are devices for saving talkative persons the trouble of thinking”
Unresponsiveness
“If human beings are perceived as potentials rather than problems, as possessing strengths instead of weaknesses, as unlimited rather that dull and unresponsive, then they thrive and grow to their capabilities.”
Vacillation/Hesitancy
“The greatest weakness of most humans is their hesitancy to tell others how much they love them while they're alive.”
“The percentage of mistakes in quick decisions is no greater than in long-drawn-out vacillation, and the effect of decisiveness itself 'makes things go' and creates confidence”
Whining/Humming
“Laugh at yourself and at life. Not in the spirit of derision or whining self-pity, but as a remedy, a miracle drug, that will ease your pain, cure your depression, and help you to put in perspective that seemingly terrible defeat and worry with laughter at your predicaments, thus freeing your mind to think clearly toward the solution that is certain to come. Never take yourself too seriously.”
Xenophobia (Fear or hatred of strangers)
Yelling
Zzzzz (Snoring)
“Why level downward to our dullest perception always, and praise that as common sense? The commonest sense is the sense of men asleep, which they express by snoring.”
Which of these attitudes and behaviours, if any, do you exhibit? Are there any others? Now get a sheet of paper and list them.
Rank Your Goals and Strength
Here are some personal goals as examples. Get a piece of paper and rank your personal goals according to their priorities.
- More time with family
- More travel
- Better health and fitness
- More overall accomplishment
- More business adventures
- More personal influence
- More leisure time
- More money
- Better social standing
- Early retirement
- Getting out of debt
- Financial freedom
List and rank your personal strengths related to business. Some of these may apply:
The Emotional You
“We must control our attitude instead of our attitude controlling us”
“Learn to use your emotion to think, not think with your emotions.”
In order to become more stable and more in control of our attitude and lives, we need to recognize the internal and external factors which cause us to generate certain emotional responses. Ask yourself why you responded in an inappropriate way. Consider the ten questions and write down as many responses as you can think of each one. Then, ask yourself, Now that I’ve recognized those emotional responses, what can I do to make use of them or control them? List those responses too.
- What sort of things do I get angry about?
- When did I last enjoy a hearty laugh?
- Am I ashamed to cry? Why?
- When frustrated or in a hurry, do I still communicate clearly?
- What situations do I find stressful?
- Am I generally optimistic or pessimistic?
- What triggers me to act with impatience?
- Do I have any nervous habits such as nail biting/freezing?
- In what circumstances do I feel secure or insecure? Why?
- When was the last time I had insomnia? What cause it?
“Getting to know yourself – no matter how challenging that maybe – is one of the most wonderful benefits in life”
Turning Negative into Positive
“Be open to the possibility of discovering negative factors about yourself, and use it to make a positive shift.”
Becoming Self-Motivated
“A motive is an urge within an individual that incites him or her to action. It is the hope or other force that moves the individual to produce specific result.”
Seven Key Elements for Turning Inaction into Action
1. Become aware of what your true desires are. 2. Get excited about and determined to obtain those desires. 3. Develop discipline in pursuing them step by step. 4. Upraise your enthusiasm and optimism about each of your achievements along the way. Show appreciation for any help you received. 5. See challenges as opportunities and be open to the possibilities they present. 6. Increase your confidence by becoming knowledgeable in your field. 7. Focus on becoming the successful person you’ve dreamed of becoming.
Make a list of what you need to do or do more of to spark yourself into action. Keep it in front of you.
The Hidden You
Answer the following questions. Do any patterns emerge? If so, what do they reveal about who you really are, what you really want, and how you need to proceed to get it?
- If I had all my time and money challenges handled, what would I do? What hidden desires may I be ignoring? Who would I spend more time with? Where would I go? What would I buy?
- What is my next simple action step to move forward to achieve my goals/dreams?
- How happy am I really about what I am doing?
- How might I be holding myself back and why? What excuses might I be making?
- How can I give myself a sense of urgency to get moving? Do I realize that I am not going to live forever and that any procrastinating I may be doing is delaying my achievement of the better life I yearn for?
- What tapes/CDs/videos/DVDs can help me?
- What positive, uplifting, growth-encouraging books do I need to read to become a more positive producer?
- What helpful skills and attitudes do I already have? Which ones do I need to develop?
- What training sessions, seminars, conventions, opportunity meetings, product fairs, and other motivational, continuing education-type meetings and get-togethers do I need to attend?
- Am I always taking notes, asking questions, and exhibiting an open, teachable attitude? If not, what do I need to do to get started?
“Do you know who you are, and do you realize the potential that lives inside of you just waiting to be released? We are all special, individualized beings, capable of admirable accomplishment, and since we are born with the gifts of potential and desire, we need to discover and cultivate them. To know ourselves is to discover our desires and follow our dreams.”
Respond to all questionnaires, guides and idea lists. Keep those responses in a special files and review them each month. See how you are changing, maturing and growing. Note the progress of any re-conceptualization goals you have set for yourself. Completely retest yourself every six months to discover any changes in your needs, opinions, and goals. In short keep in touch with yourself.
