Improvement is a Lifelong Process

Improvement is a Lifelong Process If you are an honest person you will admit that there are many things in your life which need to be improved on. This is true of all of us no matter who we are or where we are from. The richest man in the world may not have more character than the poorest. As a matter of fact the poor man will have more character most times. Sometimes tough circumstances will serve to press the goodness out of us. I remember a road trip that I took one time where we had a flat tire. We had a spare but it was under the SUV and I couldn’t figure out how to get it off. To top the situation off it just happened to be night time and we didn’t have a flashlight. Many automobiles passed us by that night but the two which stopped to assist had one thing in common. Both cars were old and barely running. It was obvious that their owners stopped because they knew how it felt to be broken down and stranded. Sometimes we can develop character and sometimes it can be instilled in us but sometimes life just has to knock us down so that that small thing on the inside can be forced to grow and become polished until it shines. The truly humble person is the person who maintains humility when things are going well. When things are well it is difficult for the diamond called character to grow and develop. When things are rough we get to take a real look at the gem to see if it is real or made of glass. A person who is truly humble will always strive to become a better person. The humble person is confident but has a clear perception of his or her strengths and weaknesses. That person knows that there is always room for improvement. The person who can correctly and objectively assess his or her own character knows their weaknesses and knows how to correct them. Let me use myself as an example. I used to be an impulsive buyer. When I got credit cards I would spend them up to their limits and consequently have to use my entire paycheck to pay bills. Rather than choosing to discipline myself I spent more on credit. Eventually I came to my senses and decided to get out of debt. I then realized that I couldn’t control my impulse to spend so I had to start leaving my money and credit cards at home. It worked like a charm. It was difficult at first but eventually I got used to it. Now I don’t have to leave my money at home because I have learned how to control my spending urges. Sometimes bad habits go back to childhood problems. We can often get trapped into behavior patterns which can be difficult to change. If you can recognize your negative behavior you can isolate the thing which triggers it. The best way to discover bad behavior is to listen to the words which come out of your mouth. Be true to yourself when you evaluate yourself. Negative words are not good under any circumstances. Don’t make excuses for your negatives. Own up to them and then begin to deal with them. You don’t have to announce them but you do need to recognize bad behavior when it comes from you. You also need to be determined to correct it. Maybe you will have to change friends, associates, or environment. Whatever the case may be do what you have to do to win. Riceland Enterprises