6) Concentration Habit
The mind often wanders off while doing a task or activity. Most people can read while understanding nothing about what they are reading. As you do things, especially as you perform your list of things to do for the day, put all your focus on what you are doing.
An added exercise for this is to choose a very positive picture, like flowers for instance, and then close your eyes to focus on them. Do this before you go to sleep at night when your surroundings are quiet. Don’t let anything else enter your mind except the flowers — swaying in the wind, in a garden, in a forest, in their varieties, and in different arrangements. Then open your eyes, while still concentrating on the same objects. See with your mind, not with your eyes.
APPLICATION: This strengthens your mind’s ability to focus on what is beautiful and positive. This also trains your mind to stay focused. As earlier said, fears are all in the mind. This exercise strengthens your mind to ignore negative things.
The real benefit of this exercise is that you will begin to enjoy the ability to focus on what is beautiful and what refreshes you. You will also develop the habit of focusing and retaining in your memory only the positive things — like good encounters with people, places, and events. The point is that the more you fear a person, place, or situation, the more you must try to recall only the good in them.
7) Good Reasoning Habit
Make it a point to look for positive reasons out of doing things. This time, say it verbally, even in whispers. When you take out the garbage, say to yourself verbally ―It is so good to take out the garbage to keep the kitchen clean!‖ If you have to wash the car and clean its interior, say, ―Clean cars reflect the clean people who ride them!‖ In everything you do throughout the day, declare with your mouth the good reasons for doing them.
APPLICATION: Verbalizing positive reasons can do wonders to encourage and strengthen a positive mind. Power is exhibited when you hear yourself declaring what is right and reasonable. Once you feed yourself daily with this mental programming habit, the emotions will submit to reason. Thus, when fears come, you can start reasoning that fears only warn you to take extra precautions to abort bad things from taking place.
Fears, in themselves, have no power to harm you in any way. They are present to help you. When you are caught in a building that is on fire, you can tell yourself ―I am going to get out of here. There’s always a way out of everything. God sees my predicament, and he will send help. Of course, I’m nervous. I should be. This feeling gives me double ability to proceed carefully.‖
8) Good Time Habit
As you list the things you have to do daily, program them as opportunities for a good time. If you have to take the garbage out, list it as a health activity. If you have to do a general cleaning, list it as a home wellness activity. Always treat everything as things that are fun or enjoyable to do.
APPLICATION: Everything in life, even negative incidents, must be seen as good times. When you fear a certain place and avoid passing by it, you can take a detour, not a way to escape your fear, but to have a good time and enjoy other sights. Better yet, pass by a mall or grocery and shop for a while. Each time you avoid passing by that place you fear about, think of it as a shopping trip. From time to time, do pass by that place you fear about with some companions. Then also pass by the mall or grocery. This makes the whole travel, even to the feared place, a trip for a good time.
9) Waiting Habit
This is different from procrastination. Waiting is looking for a good chance or for the right timing. Procrastination is simply idleness or timidity. Make it a life principle to always wait for your turn.
Fall in line, no matter how long. When asked to wait, wait patiently without complaints or murmuring. Don’t rush into things, but always wait for directions or instructions, the right timing, and the right procedure. When the right instruction, time, or procedure comes, waste no time. Proceed!
APPLICATION: The point in all the waiting is to develop patience. Patience conquers many things. An ancient eastern saying, written by a man considered one of the wisest and most powerful world leaders, goes that ―Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper (or emotions) than one who takes a city.‖ Great rocks and landforms have been eroded by constant water dripping. Mature patience gives wisdom to master your fears and doubts. They say practice makes perfect. Mature patience also makes you see the beauty in life.
10) Face Off Habit
In everything you do, assume that others are equal, if not better than, yourself. In short, always be meek and humble. Come face to face with the person you really are. Do not assume a false self. Get rid of a false sense of superiority or perfection. This falsehood deceives you when you maintain that you have no weakness. So each morning face the mirror and talk to yourself, saying:
1. I have strengths and weaknesses.
2. I have bravery and fear.
3. Both bravery and fear are for my protection.
4. Real perfection is to acknowledge and master my bravery and fear.
5. I need the help of others, and they need my help.
6. I need God above all.
APPLICATION: The first step to winning over your fears is to admit that you’re having them. If you pretend to be so brave as to have zero fear, you will never enjoy your fears. You would either be irritated or bothered by them. Too much anger is often a sign of irritated fear. When you finally get to admit the truth, then you can start to take the proper steps to use them to your advantage.
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