The Messiah Herald Issue 02 Mar 2017 | Page 16

💻
CONQUER YOURSELF
In many cases , your initial assessment of someone is heavily influenced by your own self-fabricated perceptions . You may be upset by the way you view an action taken by that person . However , it is important to remember in these situations that everyone approaches life differently , with a different philosophy and mindset .
Before assuming the worst , ask yourself :
• Did you react to their actions negatively due to any ingrained prejudices ?
• Are your emotions clouding your judgement ?
• Is it possible that the person ’ s intentions are not as bad as you think ?
• What could be the person ’ s point of view and reasoning ?
Before you judge somebody on their actions , you must find out their intentions .
We tend to create scenarios in our minds about what we think will happen , usually based on our fears , doubts and biases . Self-awareness allows you to have clarity about those scenarios and control the way you see the situation .
THE ART OF COMMUNICATION
In order to communicate well , you need to learn the art of expressing yourself and being a good listener at the same time . Sometimes , it is the lack of expression that results in failures .
If somebody is giving you advice , don ’ t just dismiss it without first listening . When you do not allow people to explain themselves to you , you shut the doors of communication .
Improve your communication skills :
• Listen to any advice given to you
• Understand the advice . Tell them what you understood from their advice and confirm with them , ‘ Is that what you meant ?’
• Compare the advice given to you to how you would do it
• Do whichever one is better
Heeding advice will broaden your mind to the wisdom others have to offer , keeping you grounded and aware of both yourself and others .
The Bible says , ‘ Listen to advice and accept instruction , that you may gain wisdom in the future .’ [ PROVERBS 19:20 ]
When you speak , you should aim not just to deliver words , but to convey your thoughts . If you want to perfectly transfer your thoughts to somebody else ’ s mind , you need skills of perfect expression . Some people have a hard time expressing themselves in proper words . It is important to be explanatory when speaking so that the person you tell your views to is given the same understanding of your thoughts that you have .
DEALING WITH CRITICISM
The most important thing on the path to selfawareness is to know when to stop defending yourself . If you make a mistake and it is pointed out to you , it will greatly benefit your spiritual health to simply apologise and reflect upon criticism you have received .
In fact , you will find that a lot of problems and quarrels in life can be sorted if you remain silent and just listen . Knowing when to stop and listen is an effective way to avoid unnecessary conflict .

💻

The purpose of this guide was to encourage you to look deeper within yourself and provide the information you need to master your own being spiritually , psychologically and emotionally . For further information about Messiah Foundation International ’ s approach to spirituality , visit : http :// www . theawaitedone . com
16 MESSIAH HERALD / ISSUE 02 / MAR 2017