The Art of Self-Management - 5

Do not worry if others do not understand you. Worry if you do not understand them. - Confucius

One of the discoveries in my life is that nothing is more important than healthy human relationships. God has made each human being a unique individual. Managing people is perhaps the most complex of all activities. Take your own family as an example. Is everybody same in terms of attitudes, habits, intelligence, likes and dislikes? -probably not. Think of the large numbers of your friends, neighbours, co-workers and community members. Each one is different and may not respond to your expectations.

A common problem is - how do you deal with all types of people around
you and effectively manage situations? The hard truth is, if you ever want to manage others/situations, you first need to know and manage yourself. One has to be attuned to the art of self-management before attempting to manage others.

Suggestion # 4 Know thyself.

Very often, we don't really look at ourselves at all. We tend to offer excuses. Take a hard look at yourself. Some things to observe include:

- The ease or difficulty of getting out of bed in the morning.
- The posture of your body at work, while talking with others, while walking.
- The way our moods swing - ideally, one should have no wild swings.
- How comfortable you are when talking with your boss, peers, friends and strangers.
- The level of concentration at work - do you get easily distracted?
- Are you able to express your thoughts and feelings articulately when needed?

The steps to effective self-management start with discovering yourself - your abilities, your limitations, your habits, your beliefs, and most importantly, your attitudes.

'Seek yourself' is the fundamental teaching in Hinduism. Our religion preaches 'You become what you think'. Believe that you have the power to shape your life and you will do well.

One should first practise hard before preaching and then preach what he practises. Look at the biography of a few world leaders - Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Vivekananda, and many others. They were all people who had high self-discipline and strongly believed in themselves. A person with high self-esteem gets motivated easily and is able to inspire others too as a leader. Be a leader, not a master. Draw inspirations from our religious scriptures like Bhagawad Gita, and the Upanishads.

People don't grow old. When they stop learning, they stop growing, and then they become old.

I can keep writing more and more on this subject. Right now, I think it is adequate if one begins to see the value in my four suggestions and try to follow them. It will be a big step to learn the art of self-management. I would welcome your comments.