1. Major (Retd.) Pravin SinghCommandant MB Patel Military School

2. Definition of Personality Cambridge International dictionary defines:- your personality is the type of person you are, which is shown by way you behave, feel and think. Longman dictionary of Contemporary English defines:- whole nature of character of a person 3. What is Personality How a person behaves, feels and thinks, how he conductshimself in a given set of circumstances is defined by stateof mind. Mere external appearance, speech and mannerism areonly fringes of ones personality. Personality development in real sense refers to deeperlevel of a person. So we need to have a clear grasp of mind and how itfunctions. 4. Necessity to know our mind We intend to make resolution to cultivate goodhabits, to kick bad habits. Very often our mind rebels forcing us to beat a retreatfrom our efforts in implementing our resolutions. As per Bhagwad Gita, undisciplined mind acts as ourenemy whereas a trained mind acts as our friend. Can we train our mind to obey and to cooperate withus. We need to have a clear idea of the mechanism ofmind. 5. The fourfold functions of Mind 1. Memory. 2. Deliberation andconceptualization. 3. Determination and Decisionmaking. 4. I Consciousness. 6. 1 st function of Mind: MEMORY The store house of memory and impression of our past experiences . (chitta) In this store house impressions of thoughts and actions good or bad are stored. The sum total of these impressions defines our character. Chitta is what is known as oursubconscious mind. 7. 2nd Deliberation and ConceptualizationNot yet very sure mind examines the various options presented before it. It deliberates on several things.This faculty of mind is called manasImagination and formation of concepts are also function of manas 8. 3 rd Determination & Decision making Buddhi is the faculty responsible for decision making. It has the capacity to judge the pros and cons. It is also the discriminatory faculty in a person which enables him to differentiate between real and unreal, what is to be done and what is to be avoided, what is morally right and what is wrong. It is also the seat of WILL POWER so essential for personality development and hence this aspect of mind concerns us the most. 9. 4 th I Consciousness All physical and mental activities I eat, I hear, I talk, I think is called ahamkara or I consciousness. As long as I identifies with undisciplined body-mind complex human life is dictated by circumstances of the world, we become happy with pleasurable events. More mind gets refined and disciplined, more does one gets to know the real source of I consciousness. A person becomes more balanced and equipoised in daily life, no longer swayed by circumstances of life. 10. What is Character Every action and every thought of ours leaves animpression on our mind. These impression determine how we behave orrespond to a given situation. Sum total of all our impressions defines ourCharacter. Past has defined our present. Present thoughts and action s will define our future. This is the key Principle of personality development. 11. What activates the body mind system The answer to this will help us to have better knowledgeof ourselves. Ancient sages experimented with themselves thesensory and mental apparatus to find this element I. What is the Mind of mind, the Ear of ear, the Eye ofeye, Speech of speeches. Divinity of real I remains latent till we identify it withbody-mind and sensory system. The goal of life as per scriptures is to manifest the hiddendivinity. 12. Will Power Strengthening of will power is the essenceof Personality Development. Divine core of our personality has fivedimensions Physical Dimension Energy Dimension Mental Dimension Intellectual Dimension Blissful Dimension 13. Divine core and its 5 Dimensions Physical Dimension consists of our body andsense. Energy Dimension which performs digestion offood, circulation of blood and other activities ofbody. Mental Dimension like activities of mindthinking, feelings, emotions etc. Intellectual Dimension is determinativefaculty, eat of discrimination and WILL POWER. Blissful Dimension as experienced in bliss deepsleep etc. 14. Essential qualities for PD1. Faith in oneself2. Think positive thoughts3. Attitude toward failures and mistakes4. Self reliance5. Renunciation and Service 15. Essential qualities for PD Faith in oneself Faith in God comes next only to faith on oneself. One who cannot trust himself cannot trust God. If one believes ones real nature is spirit not the bodyand mind- one would be better individual with strongercharacter. Think positive thoughts Character is repeated habits and repeated habitsalone can transform character. It is sin to think as ourselves and other as weak.Swami Vivekanand. 16. Essential qualities for PD Attitude toward failures and mistakes Fail and learn from failures rather than leading an inertexistence like a wall which cannot even tell lies. Self reliance We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wishour self to be, we have the power to make our self. Renunciation and Service Selfless service is paramount means to characterdevelopment. This coupled with renunciation of selfishness and desirefor fruits of action are the twin ideals of our nation. 17. Swami Vivekanand His ides on personality development spreads overnine volumes of his complete works. Swamiji says: Teach yourselves, teach everyone his real nature, call upon the sleeping soul and see how it awakes. Power will come, glory will come. Goodness will come purity will come, and everything that is excellent will come when this sleeping soul is roused to self conscious activity. 18. It is personality that matters In our families there are heads, some of them aresuccessful others are not, why? We complain of others in our failures, we blamesomebody or something instead of confessing our fault orweakness. Coming to great leaders of mankind, they were know notbecause of their thoughts, their books or speeches butbecause of their PERSONALITY. Personality of man is 2/3 rd and intellect, words etc arejust 1/3 rd. The ideal of all education and training must be this manmaking. We try to polish outside when there is nothinginside. 19. Laws of Personality Development A little bubble coming from the bottom of lake is notseen, it is seen only when it bursts on the surface. Similarly we can see our thoughts only after they havedeveloped a great deal or after they have becomeaction. We complain that we have no control ourthoughts, but we can get hold of our thoughts at theROOTS, before it can become thought and thenaction. This is how we can control our mind. He who controls his mind knows the secret of everymind and has power of every mind. 20. Layers of Personality External instrument sthula sharira(Body and Organs.) Internal instrument Sukshma Sharira (Mind, intellectand egoism.) Every human personality may be compared to a glassglobe. There is same pure white light inside in the centerof each. Equality and beauty of central flame is the same andapparent inequality is only the temporal instruments ofits expression. As we rise to higher and higher in scale of being, themedium becomes more and more translucent. 21. Man is Divine There is essentially no difference between manand another man. All being are alike divine. There is an infinite ocean ofExistence, Knowledge and Bliss as ourbirthright, our real nature; and the differencebetween us is caused by the greater orlesser power to manifest that divine. Manifest the divinity within you, andeverything will be harmoniously arrangedaround it. 22. Pleasure is not the Goal Pleasure is not the goal of man, but Knowledge. Good and evil has equal share in mouldingcharacter, and in some case misery is a greaterteacher than happiness. Wisdom is the goal of all life. Man enjoys intellect more than animal enjoys itssenses. We must seek knowledge and wisdom to knowself rather than being indulged in senses. 23. How to Change Our Character? Every work that we do, our thoughts and actionsleaves such an impression on the mind, which is notobvious on surface but sufficiently strong beneath thesurface, subconsciously. Sum total of my impressions of past is what we aretoday also defined as Character. If good impressions prevails character becomes goodand vice versa. If you want to judge real character of man, look not athis great performance, every fool becomes a hero one time or another. 24. How to Change Our Character? Great occasions rouse even the lowest of humanbeings to some kind of greatness. But a really great man whose character is greatalways, the same whatever he be. All the actions, movements and works in theworld, machines, cities, ships or men of war aresimply manifestation of the will of man and thiswill is cause by character, character ismanufactured by Karma. Great work requires great and persistent effort for along time. 25. How to Change Our Character? The road to Good is the Toughest and the Steepest inthe universe. It is a wonder that so many succeed, no wonder that somany fall. Character has to be established through a thousandstumbles. Actions have a vibration, vibration dies out and leaves animpression or sanskars . Large number of impressions make Habit. Habit is the second nature. We can make and unmake habit any time. The only remedy for bad habit is counter habit. 26. How to Change Our Character? All he bad habits have left their impressions areto be controlled by good habits. Go on doing good things, thinking holythoughts, reading good books continuously, thatis the only way to suppress the base impressions. Never say a man is hopeless, because herepresents a character, a bundle ofhabits, which can be checked by new & betterones. Character is repeated habits, and repeatedhabits alone can reform character. 27. Influence of Thought It is an observed fact that when a person do evilactions, they become more and more evil, and when theydo good they become stronger and stronger and learn todo good all the times. There are twofold danger in doing evil, firstly we openourselves to all the evil influences surrounding ussecondly we create evil which affects others. In doing good we do good to others as well. Like all other forces in man, these forces of good and evilalso gather strength from outside. Fill yourself with idea, whatever you do think well onit, all your action will be magnified, transformed anddeified by the very power of thought. 28. Control your Negative Emotions We must have four sorts of ideas.1. We must have friendship for all.2. We must be merciful for those who are in misery.3. When people are happy we ought to be happy.4. And to the wicked we must be indifferent. If the subject is good we will feel friendly tohim, if the subject of thought is miserable wemust be merciful towards it. If it is good we must be glad if it is evil, we mustbe indifferent. This attitude of mind will keep mind peaceful. 29. Control your Negative Emotions Most of the difficulties in our daily life come frombeing unable to hold our mind in that way. E.g. if some one does evil we want to react evil and welose our power. Every vicious thought will rebound, every thought ofhatred will come back to you with tremendous powerin some form of misery with compound interest. Once you have put them in motion you will have tobear them. Remembering this will prevent you from doingwicked things. 30. Control your Negative Emotions The great secret is absence of jealousy. Be always ready to concede to the opinionsof your brethren, and always try toconciliate. That is the whole secret.Fight on bravely, Life is short, Give it up to a great cause. 31. Change Yourself First We have seen the subjective world rules the objective. Change the subject and the object is bound to change. Purify yourself and the world is bound to be purified. The question is why should I see evil in others? I cannot see evil unless I be evil. I cannot be miserable unless I am weak. Things that used to make me miserable when I was achild, do not do so now. The subject changed so the object was bound tochange. 32. Change Yourself First The man that has practiced control over himselfcannot be acted upon by anything outside, there isno more slavery for him. His mind has become free. For him world isbeautiful. The more we grow in love and virtue andholiness, the more we see love virtue and holinessoutside. All condemnations of others really condemnsourselves. Every step that has been really gained in this worldhas been gained by love, criticizing can never do 33. Take the whole Responsibility on Yourself We are responsible for what we and whatever we wish to be, wehave the power to make ourselves. If we are now has been the result of our past actions, itcertainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can beproduced by our present actions, so we have to know howto act. We ought to know that all misery, blow or failure has not beenundeserved, we have paved the way with our own hands. Analyze any blow, you have prepared yourself for that, you didhalf and the external world did the other half. If self and external world are two factor I will not contribute inthe one which is in my keeping, if I get real control blow willnever come. 34. Take the whole Responsibility on Yourself Nothing makes us work so well at our best and highest aswhen all responsibility is thrown upon ourselves. How will you behave if I put a little baby in your hands? Your whole life will be changed for that moment, youmust become selfless for time being, you will give all yourevil ideas moment responsibility is thrown upon you. Your whole character will change. With responsibility on our shoulder we shall be at ourhighest and best, when we have nobody to gropetowards, no devil to blame upon when we are aloneresponsible. I am responsible for my fate, I am bringer of good untomyself, I am bringer of evil. 35. Take the whole Responsibility on Yourself Taking responsibility of our action is the only solution to theproblem. Those that blame others are miserable with helplessbrains, blaming others does not alter their position. Therefore, blame none for your faults, stand upon your ownfeet and take whole responsibility upon yourself. This failure that I am suffering is of my own doing, andthat very proves that it will be undone by me alone. Take the responsibility and know that you are the creator ofyour own destiny. All the strength and succor you want is within yourself. Make your own future Let the dead past bury its dead. 36. Take the whole Responsibility on YourselfThe infinite future is beforeyou , and you must always rememberthat each word, thought and deed, laysup a store for you and that as the badthoughts and bad works are ready tospring upon you like tigers, so also thereis the inspiring hope that the goodthoughts and good deeds are ready withthe power of hundred thousand angels todefend you always and forever. 37. How to work WORK FOR WORKS SAKE. There are some who are salt of earth who work forworks sake and dont care for name fame or evengoing to heaven. They work just because good willcome out of it. There are others who do good to poor and helpmankind from still higher motives, because theybelieve in doing good and love good. The motive of name and fame seldom bringsimmediate results, as a rule, they come to us whenwe are old and have almost done with life. 38. How to work If a man works without any selfish motive in view , doeshe gain anything? Yes, he gains the highest. Unselfishness is more paying only people do nothave patience to practice it. Love, truth and unselfishness are not merely moralfigures of speech but they form our highest ideals. Real activity is combined with eternalcalmness, calmness which cannot be ruffled, thebalance of mind which is never disturbed, whateverhappens. From our experience of life we know it is the best attitudefor work. 39. How to work How can we work if we do not have the passionwhich we generally feel for work? The less passion there is, the better we work. The calmer we are the better for us, and the morethe amount of work we can do. When we let loose our feelings we waste so muchenergy, shatter our nerves, disturb our minds andaccomplish very little work. Worlds greatest workers have been wonderfully calm person, nothing could throw them off balance. 40. How to work Inactivity must be avoided by all means. Activity alwaysmeans resistance. Resist all evil mental and physical andwhen you have succeeded in resisting then will calmnesscome. Hate nobody, resist all evil is easy to say but it ispractically very difficult. If you aim at wealth and you know world regards him whoaims at wealth as wicked man, will dare not plunge instruggle for wealth, but mind will be running after money. This hypocrisy will serve no purpose. Plunge into the world, and then, after a time, whenyou have suffered and enjoyed all that is in it, willrenunciation come, then will calmness come. 41. How to work He who always speculates what awaits him infuture, accomplishes nothing whatsoever. The span of life is so short nothing can be accomplishedin it if you go on forecasting and computing results. God is the only dispenser of result, leave it to Him to doall that. Every duty is holy, and devotion to duty is highest form ofworship of God. By doing the duty well, duty which is in our handsnow, we make yourself stronger and improving ourstrength in a manner step by step, we may even reach astate in which it shall be our privilege to do the mostcoveted and honored duties in life and in society. 42. Work Like a Master Work like a master and not like aslave, work incessantly, but do not do slaveswork. Ninety percent of mankind work like slavesand the result is misery, its all selfish work. Work with freedom, work through love. Word love is very difficult to understand, lovenever comes until there is freedom. Selfish work is slaves work. No act of love which does not bring peace 43. Work Like a Master The man who works through freedom and love caresnothing for result. But the slave wants his whipping, the servant wants hispay. A public speaker wants a little applause or a little hissingand hooting. If he is placed in a corner you will kill himfor he requires it. This is working through slavery. Work for work sake is easy to say and difficult to attain. As work is propelled by his own feelings, senses and owndesire, selfishness. He works who has no ulterior motives and nothing togain from work can work for works sake. 44. Doing Good to the World Our duty to others means helping other;doing good to world. Why should we do good to the world?Apparently to help the world, but really to helpourselves. We should always try to help the world with thehighest motive in us, but if we consider well,the world does not require our help at all. All this beautiful world is very good,because it gives us time and opportunity tohelp others. 45. Doing Good to the World The more intensely you think of well being ofothers, the more oblivious of self you become. Doing good to others constitute way to reveal self orself realization. Giving something to a man and ask nothing orwant nothing in return. Give what you have to give, it will come back toyou, but do not think of that now, it will come backmultiplied thousand fold, but your attention mustnot be on that. Learn that whole life is giving, that nature will forceyou to give, so give willingly. 46. Doing Good to the World You come into life to accumulate, with clenched handsyou want to take. But nature puts a hand on yourthroat and makes your hand open. Whether you will itor not, you have to give. None is there but will be compelled to give, actually inlong run you give up everything. The Sun is taking up water from the ocean, to return it inshowers. River is continually emptying into the ocean and iscontinually filling up again. Bar not the exit into the ocean, moment you do thatdeath seizes you. 47. Doing Good to the WorldWisdom, knowledge, wealth, men, s trength, prowess, and whatever else nature gathers and provides us with, are only for diffusion, when the moment of need is at hand. We often forget this fact, put the stamp of mine only upon the entrusted deposit, and pari passu, we sow the seed of our ruin. 48. Unselfishness Will Bring Success All outgoing energy following selfish motive will befrittered away, it will not cause power to you in return. But if restrained it will result in development of power. Self control produces mighty will and character. Foolish men do not know this secret. They want to rulethe mankind. Even fool can rule the world if they work and wait. Majority of us do not see beyond a few years, just a narrowcircle is our world. We do not have patience to look beyond, and thus webecome immoral and wicked. This is our weakness and powerlessness. 49. Unselfishness Will Bring Success Selfishness is the Chief Sin, thinking of ourselvesfirst. I will be the last, I do not care to go to heaven, I will evengo to hell if by doing so I can my brothers. The unselfishness is the test of religion and suchperson is dear to God. Every successful person has behind him somewheretremendous integrity, tremendous sincerity and thats thecause of success in life. He may not be perfectly unselfish, but he must be tendingtowards it. Perfectly unselfish :- Christ, Buddha. 50. Degree of Unselfishness marksdegree of success Life is ever expanding, contradictionis death. The self seeking man who is lookingafter his person comforts andleading a lazy life there is no roomeven in hell. 51. It is Love that Pays Nothing else is necessary but these- Love, Sincerity and patience. Duty is seldom sweet It is only when love greases its wheels that it runs smoothly. 52. Weakness is Death Weakness leads to Slavery, Weakness isdeath. Thousands of microbes surrounding uscannot harm us until we are weak. Thousand of miseries (like microbes) aresurrounding us but cannot approach usuntil our mind is weakened. Strength is life, weakness is death. 53. Face the Terrible Face it Boldly Monkeys and Dogs chase you when you run, but if youface them they flee. We gain freedom by conquering never by running away. Cowards never win victories. We have to fight fear and troubles and ignorance if weexpect them to flee before us. Do not talk about wickedness and sins in the world, DONOT WEAKEN IT MORE. Let positive, strong and helpful thoughts enter the brain. Lay open to these thoughts and not weakening andparalyzing ones. 54. Be Brave Whenever darkness comes, assert the reality andeverything adverse must vanish. Mountain high though the difficulties appear, terrible andgloomy though all things seems, they are but delusions. Fear not it is banished, Crush it, and it vanishes, stampupon it and it dies. Think not how many times you fail, time is infinite, assertyourself again and again till you succeed. Help thyself out by thyself. For thou art thy greatest enemy, thou alone art thygreatest friend. 55. Heroism Veer Bhogya Vasundhara "The Brave ShallInherit the Earth" . The earth is enjoyed byHeros. Give up that hateful malice, that dog likebickering and barking at one another, and takeyour stand on good purpose, rightmeans, righteous courage, and be brave. When you came to this world, world rejoicedand you cried, now live your life doing such actsthat when you will leave this world, the worldwill cry for you and you will leave laughing. 56. Heroism Let the world say what it chooses, I shall tread thepath of duty- know this to be the line of action for ahero. Let people praise you or blame you, let fortune smileor frown upon you, let your body fall today or after aYug- see that you do not deviate from the path ofTruth. You will be tossed again and again on the waves ofhappiness and misery, prosperity and adversity- butknow them all to be momentary duration. Never care for them. 57. Faith in Oneself Let a man go down as low as possible, there must come atime when out of sheer desperation he will take an upwardcurve and learn to have faith in himself. It is better for us if we know it from the very first. Our first duty is not to hate ourselves, because to advancewe must have faith in ourselves first and then in God. Hewho has no faith in himself has no faith on God. Whatever you think, that you will be. If you think yourselves weak, weak you will be, if you thinkyourselves strong, strong you will be. The history of world is history of few men who had faithin themselves. 58. Imitation is Bad As long as I live, so long do I learn. Point to note is that when we take anything from others,we must mould it after our own way. We shall to our stockwhat other has to teach, but we must be careful to keepintact what is essentially our own. None can teach another. You have to realise truth and work it out for yourselfaccording to your nature. Imitation is not civilisation. Cowardly imitation never makes us progress. Learn everything that is good from others, but bring it in,and in your own way absorb it, do not become others. 59. Imitation is Bad The seed is put in the ground and earth, air andwater are placed around it. Does it become earth, air or water ? No, it becomes a Plant. It develops after the law of its owngrowth, assimilating air, water and earth andcovert them to plant substance.and growsin plant. Similarly each must assimilate the spirit ofothers and yet preserve his individuality and 60. What is Ethics One idea stands out as the center of all ethicalsystems, expressed in various forms, namely, doing goodto others. Extreme self abnegation is the center of all morality. Perfect self abnegation is abnegation of all selfishness (meand mine or Ahamkara or Mamta.) Quintessence of all ethics is the recognition of nonindividuality- that you are part of me and I of you. The recognition that in hurting you I hurt myself, inhelping you I help myself. The recognition that there cannot possibly be deathfor me when you are alive. 61. Hold On to the Ideal That is the great first step- the real desire for ideal. Now do you believe you could be what you are today, hadyou not mistakes before? Bless your mistake then. If a man with an ideal makes a thousand mistakes, I amsure that a man without ideals will make fifty thousand. Therefore it better to have an ideal. It is thought which is the propelling force in us. Fill the mind with the highest thoughts, hear them dayafter day, think them month after month. Never mind the failures, they are the beauty of life andpoetry of life. 62. Hold On to the Ideal Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life- think of it, dreamof it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscle, nerves, every part ofbody, be full of that idea, and just leave everyother idea alone. This is the way to success, and this the waygreat spritual giants are produced. Others are mere talking machines. 63. The Power of Concentration The main difference between men and animals is powerof concentration. All success in any line of work is because of this. We all concentrate upon things we love and we love thethings we concentrate our minds on. E.g. Mother andChild. Trouble with such concentration is that we do not controlthe mind, it controls us. So along with development of concentration we mustdevelop power of detachment. We must learn only to attach the mind to one thingsexclusively, but to detach it at a moments notice andplace it on something else. 64. Develop the Sense of Equality Do not pity anyone. Look upon all as equal. Equality is the sign of the free. He who realises that everyone else equally asperfect as he, and he does not have to exerciseany power, physical, mental or moral, over hisbrother men. He abandons the idea that there was ever anyman who was lower than himself. Then he can talk of equality, not until then. 65. Be Free Learn to feel yourself in other bodies, to know that weare all one. When you have acquired the feeling of non attachment,there will then be neither good nor evil for you. It is very hard thing to understandbut In misery and happiness the same, in success anddefeat the same- such a mind is nearing that stateof freedom. When we can do this, we shall really possess character,then alone we shall have taken a long step towardsfreedom, before that we are mere machines. 66. Be Free Be free, and then have any number of personalities you like.Then we will play like the actor who comes upon stage andplays the part of beggar. Contrast him with the actual beggarwalking in the streets. The one enjoys his beggary while other is suffering miseryfrom it. What is difference, one is free and other is bound. So long as we do not have knowledge of our real nature we arebeggars, jostled about by every force in nature, we cry all overthe world for help, but help never comes to us, we cry toimaginary beings and yet it never comes. But we still hope help will come, wailing and hoping and lifepasses, and play goes on. Be free. 67. March On! Advance like a HERO. Dont be thwarted by anything. How many days willthis body last, with its happiness and miseries? When you have got the human body, then say toyourself..I had reached the state of Fearlessness. And then as long as body endures, speak unto othersthis message of Fearlessness. Thou art ThatArise, awake and stop not till the goal is reached.