What do you think of you?
You may not be a bad person, but are you a good person? Do you wonder what will be placed on your epitaph one day and whether it will be a life well lived? For many, being a good person can be as basic as not causing harm to others. When we force our will on others or manipulate situations to further our own needs can we consider ourselves to be kind and good?
Here are a few ways that we can all strive to be better people and improve the world around us:
1) Define morals for yourself. Treat others as you would like to be treated but not to the extent that you are abused or taken for granted
2) Maintain a sense of humour and never take yourself, others and life in general too seriously. When life gets you down, maintain perspective rather than internalising the negativity and becoming angry. See the lighter side, have a laugh – it’s not a nice fact but the end for us is all the same so lighten up and make the most of each day
3) We are all on the crazy insane planet together so see others as accomplices rather than enemies. This attitude changes your attitude towards them and the interaction is a lot smoother when primed with this type of thinking
4) Do not judge others. Be tolerant and accept that we all have our own lessons to learn. Be a good friend, naturally and offer guidance and possibly warn someone of pros and cons they might not have noticed but never ever judge. You will ultimately alienate yourself by judging others
5) Don’t compare yourself to others. This can put us on the rollercoaster of feeling deprived. This attitude only accentuates what we feel we lack and that is not going to create happy warm feelings for anyone. Always focus on your individual gifts and talents and adopt an attitude of appreciation and gratitude for what is good in your life.
6) Help others – small acts of kindness not only make the world a better place but the side effect is that we feel good about ourselves. It adds purpose and meaning to life. The rewards are immense but it goes against our societal conditioning and capitalistic ways of life of getting more and more. Reject all that and give back.
7) Celebrate the good fortune of others. Just because something good has happened does not mean there is suddenly less good fortune to be shared. Sharing in positivity creates good feeling all round..don’t turn it in a negative (refer to point number 5). There is more than enough good stuff to go round.
8) Slow down and enjoy the moment. Re-assess your life regularly and make sure that you are living a life you love. Money is not needed. The ‘rich person’ is the one who has insight and self-knowledge to enjoy what they love doing.
9) Be true to yourself. Don’t change to be what you think you need to be..that will never work long term. Accept your quirks as they make you unique. Learn to love you..it starts within us and spreads outwards into the rest of the world…that’s the bottom line.
Mandy X
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
