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Tuesday, August 30, 2016
"How to Become a Better Person" by Felisa M
A system is a whole, organized method formed through a variety of elements that
connect together. Figuring out a system can lead you to be more successful being that it
is an organized goal that you plan thoroughly. If you create a system, you plan goals. If
you plan goals, you aim at something to accomplish making it easier to use to establish
a method.
An area in life that i’d think is good to figure out a system for is character and
how to improve yourself as a person. I believe character is a strong aspect in your life
and being a positive person improves your way of living. Within character, kindness is
key. Being kind to others is hard towards those we don't know well or find difficult, but it
is a way to live in peace and harmony.
Based on my observations of others and research, the biggest and major step I
have thought to come up with is, random acts of kindness. Now being kind may not be
perceived as general knowledge because some of us aren't too familiar with how to act
in certain situations. Showing random acts of compassion towards other not only makes
you feel good as a person, but others as well. No act is too small to make an impact, the
biggest act can cause little or the smallest act may be strong enough to make a change.
As British Philosopher Alan Watts exclaimed in an extract from his speech Does it do
you, or do you do it, “ you are something the whole universe is doing in the same way
that a wave is something the whole ocean is doing” (Tragedy & Hope, 2013). I would
once again agree that an act of kindness is not impossible to positively influence others
and that by seeing the joy of others through your actions, you will bring joy to yourself
as well. Not only do acts of kindness and love improve your character, but help you
learn the aspects of forgiveness as well.
In this system, there are also a few more steps to help make the most of yourself.
The only tool you would need to fulfill these steps is effort and a strong mentality. Ways
to make the most of yourself are; being you, being open to change, complementing and
educating yourself. I believe these small steps help implement the idea of bettering
yourself. Emotionally letting go of anger, not making excuses, and being direct/honest
will lead you to making wise decisions. It is important to be you because who would
want to live in a world where everyone is the same? In order to improve the ways that
you treat others and any negative traits you may have, you MUST be open to change.
In my opinion, change is good. At times, it may be presented as something bad, but in
the end something good may come out of it. Complementing and educating yourself is
another step to improve your own character because it is helpful to obtain moral
selfesteem.
Being a better person doesn't always mean towards other people, it can
also mean being happy with yourself. A happier and healthier character begins with an
emotional boost to make you happy. When you're happy with yourself, the happiness is
contagious to those around you following the system of kindness. After all, as Alan
Watts has also stated, “self implies other” (Tragedy & Hope, 2013).
Within my own experience, things that have kept me from improving my
character are other people. Seeing the way others and myself are treated have caused
me to flow along with other people's vibes. I’ve realized that emotions are easily
diffusible, why not brighten someone's day when they’ll possibly do the same for
another? It isn't much effort to be polite and say, “thank you.” This has helped me
decide that someone else's attitude is irrelevant to what behavior should be. For myself,
I have slowly used this idea in the way that I act and I can honestly say my character
has improved a bit more than how it was before. Using this mentality and applying it to
everyday life can be used anywhere. Whether it's being respectful, simply smiling at
others or just being helpful.
https://youtu.be/wU0PYcCsL6o
https://youtu.be/mMRrCYPxD0I
Well said. Positivity and self control is somewhat like a muscle; you must build it every time in order for it to get stronger and for you to maintain that endurance. The way we handle things, the way we present ourselves has a very big impact on others. It is almost like weather; one morning you wake up and its gloomy and you feel like staying inside, no motivation to go out because you think it will rain. Then another morning you wake up and its sunny; now your compelled to hang out, dress up, and maybe go places. Same with characteristics, demeanor, kindness, and positivity. Just as you said, it is a chain reaction.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed how you used the idea of "how to" and turned it into how you can improve yourself, I enjoyed reading and feel like this is very beneficial to use in the future.
ReplyDeleteI personally related to this piece a lot. Happiness is important and you shouldn't rely to find happiness from others. Learning to love yourself and being content with yourself is the most important step to living a healthy life.
ReplyDeleteI find this piece very easy to relate to which made it interesting to read. I like how you pulled quotes from other sources and implanted them into your own writing, it gives the piece of writing a more educated feel.
ReplyDeleteI personally find it hard to adjust to change but I now understand its only for the good. I also agree with you when you're saying you can't find happiness through others, you need to find it on your own. Thank you for this informal "how to".
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this piece and I like how you said "who would want to live in a world where everyone is the same?" Your explanation of character was really good and all the other aspects that are involved. Following your methods will make people have better characters and an easier life. This is a really good piece!
ReplyDeleteI found this an interesting read because it really did make me wonder how little effort it causes to do a nice small gesture to someone but have it mean more than just the gesture. It helped me realize that there really is no reason for us not to be polite and to appreciate the little things for those times that those small gestures should mean to me or someone else. Great advice and good job on writing this, I really enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteI liked the way that you approached a subjective topic such as self improvement through a somewhat objective process. You mention that you base these conclusions on research, I’d be interested to know if it was self performed research or reading of other work. But either way, I enjoyed your piece and I just might take some of your advice!
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ReplyDeleteI like the idea of kindness, I think it's a good system to treat others and yourself with happiness because you never know sometimes just an act of kindness can be the little action that changes a persons day from being bad and dark to being great and bright. Knowing you I can see your implementation of Buddhism in here with the whole happiness and the way we should act. i enjoyed reading this piece thanks for sharing with us it is a good guide and can be an encouragement.
ReplyDeleteI found this piece very interesting, and informative. The way you utilized a "how to" response to convey a deeper message is very well done. This piece can be seen as more than a how to become a better person post, it can be used in its own power to encourage and inspire.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely loved this piece! I am someone who loves to see people happy, laughing, and just being themselves. I completely agree that we as individuals need to learn how to be okay with who we are and become the best version of ourselves. As someone becomes happier and more confident with who they are, they reach out to more people. Through this we can make everlasting friendships which spreads your idea that happiness is contagious. I have noticed the effect of the people around me, and how there attitudes affect my mood. You really did do a great job, and i just love this topic.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is absolutely lovely, it is well said, descriptive, and educational for people who wants to spread kindness in this world. More people in this world should have the same mentality as you because it is true that random acts of kindness can make someones day and that letting go of anger will help you make less rash decisions. This is a nice topic and one of my favorites that I have read.
ReplyDeleteI think that in today's society, people forget what it means to be kind. I love that you said "No act of kindness is too small." It's true. Being kind to others make us feel better and makes everyone else around us happy. I loved that you included that being a better person could simply mean being happy with yourself. I think that people forget to love themselves and only treat others with kindness. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYou explained it perfectly! Becoming a better person shouldn't be a chore its painless and easy all it takes is a smile.
ReplyDeleteThis "how to" was very informative on how becoming a better person, I know myself i can get too comfortable in my own little shell and not want to change. It was very cool to learn that even a random act of kindness can help benefit yourself in making you feel good and the people around you.
ReplyDeleteI love your positivity in this piece. I agree with everything you said, but the one part reached out to me the most was where you wrote about being happy with yourself. I believe if you aren't happy with who you are, you'll never find yourself at piece. No one is going to be happy for you, you have to do that for yourself. I think the message you got across here was inspirational and could have helped someone who may have needed it. Great diction and great message.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this piece, I truly feel as though I can better myself not only as a person, but as a member of our society. In bettering myself, it is as if I can become a piece in the complex puzzle of life; Alone, rather useless, insignificant, and ugly, but helping to create a better image when fit together with everyone else. If we all work to become better people, we can all come together and create a beautiful image of life. Your inspiring words have showed me how any act of kindness, even performed out of habit and without care or actual thoughtfulness, can help create a better world. Thank you for showing me this eye opening message.
ReplyDeleteI am loving the way you influence the idea of applying positive thinking to our everyday lives. Though we may assume some days could be the "end of the world," you push the thought of how we are strong enough to overcome them. By doing so, I liked how you wrote how believing in yourself is important when wanting to become a better person because of how many people are incapable of displaying kindness or motivation towards others when they have not yet understood the care they must display towards themselves.
ReplyDeleteUsing system's definition as the first sentence sets the tone and gives insight into the purpose of the piece. The use of analogies in the first paragraph gives the audience simple and easy ways of comprehending the levels of a system and how they can be used in order to achieve a desired goal. I agree with the point you made about open-mindedness being the key to change because without discussions and wavering opinions, there would be no real reform. Being happy with yourself is a major step towards becoming a better person because if you're not happy with yourself, how will others learn to be happy with you as well. Great use of different resources and overall, good job!
ReplyDeleteI commend you for writing this piece, as I'm pretty sure it can be applied to a lot of people that are having trouble with their own characters, whether it be depression or even stress. This reverberates an open letter feel, meaning that everyone should read this, even those who are already happy with themselves, because there is always room for improvement. Your definition of becoming a better person is an aspect in life many people struggle with, and even the idea of being happy and confident about themselves, and the fact that you have composed a simple instruction guide on how to do that is applaudable.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that positivity can make a huge impact on those around you and even yourself. Genuine random acts of kindness are rare which in a way makes them even more cherishable to commit and/or receive. I love your perspective shown in the writing and that positivity is a huge aspect of life; but more importantly, a happy life.
ReplyDeleteReading this story made me rethink my whole way of living for a short amount of time. It truly amazes me that it takes so little effort to be a good or better person and many people fail to realize this. It made me think about how I could possibly change my ways to help a little bit more or to just make someone's day. It is a very interesting read and I enjoyed this piece more than I expected to. It definitely helps me realize that I'm capable of becoming someone better.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!!! I loved your quotes from Tragedy and Hope. I also couldn't agree more of the importance of mentality to a persons' overall being> The way one thinks has an influence on the way they react and take everything into account throughout life. And also random acts of kindness would take anyone by surprise, so use the simplicity of being kind to improve someone else's being
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