Yesterday, my friend Ania - having already given me three wonderful presents last week - gave me another one: a beautiful dish with a picture of a fish on it. We met before choir as usual. Truly, I am blessed to have such a sweet soul as a friend.
Today, the news talked of the growing and very serious problem of the increasing numbers amongst the workforce (in this country; no doubt in the world too) suffering from mental health problems. The remedy is, of course, different in different cases, but I believe that we can all benefit by taking time out to replenish ourselves with positive thinking.
Norman Vincent Peale, in The Power of Positive Thinking, talks about the importance of being liked and of not isolating oneself, as an important way of providing a full and meaningful life. He goes on to list ways to get people to like you:
1. Learn to remember names. Inefficiency at this point may indicate that your interest is not sufficiently outgoing. A man's name is very important to him.
2. Be a comfortable person so there is no strain in being with you - be an old-shoe, old-hat kind of individual
3. Acquire the quality of relaxed easy-goingness so that things do not ruffle you.
4. Don't be egotistical. Guard against giving the impression that you know it all. Be natural and normally humble.
5. Cultivate the quality of being interesting so that people will want to be with you and get something of stimulating value from their association with you.
6. Study to get the 'scratchy' elements out of your personality, even those of which you may be unconscious.
7. Sincerely attempt to heal, on an honest Christian basis, every misunderstanding you have had or now have. Drain off your grievances.
8. Practise liking people until you learn to do so genuinely. Remember what Will Rogers said, "I never met a man I didn't like." Try to be that way.
9. Never miss an opportunity to say a word of congratulation upon anyone's achievement, or express sympathy in sorrow or disappointment.
10. Get a deep spiritual experience so that you have something to give people that will help them to be stronger and meet life more effectively. Give strength to people and they will give affection to you.
Tuesday 5 June 2007
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