Encompassing Your Purpose
A wise man once said "Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success." Contemplate that. What does this actually mean? Is he really encouraging us to be delusional? I mean I am 5'4" and if I visualize myself as Michael Jordan, that doesn't make me Michael Jordan.This philosopher means one should surrender to a powerful idea. It embodies who you are as a person, and who you will become if you, yourself, persevere through rejection, grief, and failure. Dedicate yourself to your truth. From that, you must surrender to a message, idea, and vision that both fulfills who you are and transcends the suffering that arises from life.
I'd like to conclude this talk with a quote from the German philosopher, Nietszche, who said "He who has a why, must bear any how."
I'd like to conclude this talk with a quote from the German philosopher, Nietszche, who said "He who has a why, must bear any how."
HOW YOUR BRAIN MAKES YOU BECOME A BETTER PERSON: AN EXAMINATION OF RESEARCH
"You are what you think. All that you are arises from your thoughts. With your thoughts, you make your world." - Dhammapada
|
|
Many researchers argue that personality traits are genetically determined, while many others state that personality changes through decision making. However, it is more complicated than that. The central premise of this piece indicates that personality, along with its genetic predispositions, changes through time if an individual chooses to 1) optimize their environment, 2) assess their values, and 3) surrender to an all-encompassing purpose. Let us begin with this premise: The intricate structures of the brain lead individuals to produce unique behaviors and habits, gradually contributing to unique personalities, cementing itself into unique life perspectives, in turn, providing an individual's self-esteem. However, the brain can change itself through the adaptation of multifaceted habits and behaviors that are beneficial for an individual's physical health, self-awareness, and cognitive capabilities; therefore, optimizing their self-esteem. All that needs to happen is to do a difficult task, but a meaningful one every day. Such examples are running a mile in ten minutes, reading five newspaper articles on economics, or meditating for an hour. Depending on an individual's goals and mindset, a person that can make small-term difficult accomplishments produce long term impacts. People that optimize themselves physiologically, intellectually, and, in the most practical sense, morally, are set to flourish in life.
However, without going too ahead, let us first analyze the strange relationship between the brain, personality, and genes. All of these factors play a role in cultivating self-esteem, the key to flourishing. To begin, let's define character as an intricate collection of habits. Such habits emerge from genetic and environmental factors. Personality regards three components, 1) unique traits and habits, 2) habits acquired by a person's social setting, and 3) patterns of adapting towards the environment. The first component, and the only one I will fixate on, bases itself on evolutionary biology. A person's unique traits, whether if it is their facial expression, body type, and emotional intelligence, derive from genetic components. Studies in developmental psychology have demonstrated that personality traits are moderately heritable, and can predict various lifetime outcomes, including psychopathology. Furthermore, organizations such as the Research Domain Criteria have labeled that neurotic personality traits contain genetic components, eliciting "heritable variation in personality traits, such as neuroticism, would share a common genetic basis with psychiatric diseases, such as major depressive disorder" [1]. Even if research suggests that genetics does not play the end-all-be-all role in personality, it still represents a substantial role in determining a person's capacity to exhibit moral behavior. For instance, developmental psychologist Nancy Eisenberg clearly states, "It is likely that aspects of children's temperament that are heritable (e.g., their tendencies to experience emotions such as sadness and anger and their ability to regulate their emotions and related behavior) provide an avenue through which genetics affect children's moral behavior. Besides, children's temperaments affect how their parents interact with an attempt to socialize them. Thus, it is likely that children's genetic inheritances affect their moral development in multiple ways" [2].
Genetics appears to play a significant role in the growth and development of the moral decision making of infants, but not the most substantial. Every person can determine desirable or aversive personality traits. Now, you might be wondering why I have just emphasized a genetic approach. This indeed is a valid claim -- but it leads to a trap. Genetics play a substantial role in determining the shape and size of the brain, thus determining the shape and size of our cortical areas and the connectivity of our neurons.
This observation leads to the ultimate question: Can we change our brain even if genetics play a significant role? The answer is a definite yes. Though genetic factors could limit individual capabilities, we can still maximize these capabilities to pursue extraordinary, if not seemingly genius breakthroughs. It all has to do with cultivating a positive mindset and a will of iron. If an individual thinks based on acknowledging their potential, embracing their limitations, and embracing their ambitions, they can define who they are and most importantly, whom they want to become in life. To reap the fruits of their potential, they should take care of their mental health and change their surroundings to ensure some degree of neural plasticity. All of these factors considered, then an individual is bound to flourish in life.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
[1] The genetics of human personality. Genes, Brain and Behavior. 2018; 17:e12439. https://doi.org/10.1111/gbb.12439
[2] Eisenberg N. (2004) Prosocial and Moral Development in the Family. In: Thorkildsen T.A., Walberg H.J. (eds) Nurturing Morality. Issues in Children’s and Families’ Lives, vol 5. Springer, Boston, MA
[3] Sharma, N., Classen, J., & Cohen, L. G. (2013). Neural plasticity and its contribution to functional recovery. Handbook of clinical neurology, 110, 3–12. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-52901-5.00001-0
Implementing Positive Psychology Tricks to Strengthen Leadership Skills
What is success? Tony Robbins defines this as " doing what you want, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want.” Jordan Peterson adds depth to this idea, further eliciting" “Strengthen the individual. Start with yourself. Take care of yourself. Define who you are. Refine your personality. Choose your destination.”
These two notions regard success as the fulfillment of potential. A person who hungers for success must achieve goals, acquire different habits, and refine various facets of their cognition and personality.
However, success isn't necessarily that. It bases itself not only on individual needs, but societal needs as well. Therefore, success is also a matter of impact.
The most successful individuals are those who strive to be the most impactful in society.
But how do you do that? Here's a two step process:
1) Refine your motives. As many etch in their journals "how will I be a successful student?," "how will I be a better leader?," or "how should I live?," you should also say "how should I use my talents to improve the 1) well-being of myself, 2) my family, 3) my community, and most importantly, 4) the world?" You have to be both concrete and ambitious. Remember, this is the most cumbersome step of this list. It requires a significant amount of time and contemplation. Therefore, if you are comfortable with your motives, and if these motives are selfless, then what you should do is write
"I strive to _____________in order that________________ so that society will___________________"
2) Refine your character traits. Practice transcendental meditation to facilitate patience. Always ask interesting questions to make others speak. Listen to others. Get into a morning routine. All of these habits lead to better character traits. However, the best way to refine your personality isn't only through multifaceted habits but through a combination of 1) gratitude, 2) responsibility, and 3) self-awareness. Gratitude increases positive thinking, which leads to a positive attitude. Responsibility increases trust, which leads to integrity. Self-awareness increases bravery, which leads to fearlessness. But how do you easily master these skills? I'll give you a list of three exercises to practice:
a) Gratitude - Write ten good traits that you have. If you want to be more grateful, write ten reasons why you wrote them. If you want to be even more grateful, then do random acts of kindness to those who love you.
b) Responsibility - If you enjoy your job, work more than expected and do it with diligence. If you are given nauseating assignments, then finish them with laser sharp speed. Remember, responsibility is the practice of detachment. An individual is fulfilling their duty, rather than listening to their own body. To detach yourself from the cravings of your body signifies personal mastery. Here are the exercises to practice responsiblity
1) Write to yourself
I am committed to doing (task) at this (time) so that I will improve my (character trait)
2) Schedule your day with concrete tasks. Use google calendar.
3) Whenever you are lazy or feeling unconfident of pursuing your goals, just visualize yourself doing it.