CONQUER YOURSELF
ILLUSIONS OF PERFECTION
Some people, even after insignificant failures, find themselves feeling unworthy and inferior. Beliefs of not being good enough are due to them having a false mental image of perfection. If you are a perfectionist, you may be susceptible to feeling this way.
It is helpful to remember that perfection is just an illusion. Anyone who aims for absolute perfection is bound to fall short of their own unrealistic expectations.
There is always room for improvement because nothing is completely perfect.
When you fail, the image that you perceived in your subconscious mind about your perfect self is broken. Your ego, the Carnal Self, is hurt. In order to avoid unwanted questions, the ego forces you to declare,‘ I am unworthy.’
Your failures will push you to feel inferior, but you need to accept that you are not inferior just because you failed. Rather, find out why you failed and rectify the mistake that caused you to fail.
SUPERIORITY AND INFERIORITY COMPLEXES
Neither an inferiority complex nor a superiority complex is good. You should stay in the middle. Both complexes will make you blind.
– His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi
BUILDING CONFIDENCE
Being self-aware will enable you to indubitably know your abilities. Once you are certain about your own calibre, you will be confident and ready to take up any challenge. Then, your image of yourself will not be influenced by anyone’ s perception of you or your own delusions of grandeur. Your character should be in the palm of your hand.
Self-awareness will help you build confidence. Once you know what your strengths are, you can further develop them by setting challenges for yourself. Give yourself a target to achieve in the next week, the next month and the next year. When you accomplish your goals, your confidence will grow.
How do you stay in the middle of the two complexes?
• Do not curse yourself or blame your misfortune for your failures.
• Stay grounded. Know that if you are successful, it is not because you are great but because you made the right decisions.
If you fail at anything or find yourself surrounded by calamities, it is not because of your fate; rather it is because of the poor decisions you made in life. Similarly, when you succeed, you should know it is due to the policies and different techniques that you worked in perfect coordination with your actions that made you successful. Do not allow yourself to be under the impression that it is because you yourself are a superior human being.
RELATIONSHIPS
It is very likely that the way you perceive yourself and others is negatively affecting your relationships with those around you. In your mind, you may have painted a perfect picture of yourself because you are not aware of your weaknesses. However, others are, and to them your picture is not so perfect.
When you know your true picture and make necessary changes to subtract the negativity from your character, you will become a good person not just to your perception, but to others’ observation.
A good way to preserve positive relationships with others is to keep a check and balance of your own self before finding faults in people. Sometimes, emotional or behavioural issues are symptoms of our own deeply rooted emotional and psychological problems.
MESSIAH HERALD / ISSUE 02 / MAR 2017 15