Will Training (for those who want to improve their attitude :))

You might agree with me that we live in a “Me” centered world. Most people will only help others as long as it is convenient for them. I remember as a kid, in Sunday School we were taught that to have JOY in our lives, we must put Jesus first, Yourself last and Others in between. As we commence the Easter season, we must emulate Christ on living a selfless live. Even till the point of his death on the cross he thought of others and not of himself.

Anyway today what I really want to talk about is on training your will. Most people feel/think they do not have any control over their attitudes, moods and emotions. I say to you that this is a lie. As human beings we have control over what we think, how we feel and how we behave. This is one difference between us and other creatures of God. I guess the reason why most people believe this lie is because they have not trained themselves to be in control. So today, I would like to take you on a journey of training your will by doing the following tasks:

1. Smile when you’ll rather frown
2. Say a gentle word when you’ll snarl
3. Do a kind deed, however simple, when you’ll rather take your ease
4. Think a good thought when you’ll rather not think at all
5. See something beautiful in every disagreeable task
6. Speak only good about those who cross your path
7. Deny yourself some little thing each day
8. Be joyful even in the face of sorrow and misfortune
9. Give thanks to God even for those things which try your soul

You can start by taking the first task and training yourself on that- "Smile when you'll rather frown". Write it down on post-it notes, on your note book, think about it constantly, say it out to yourself every morning when you wake up till it becomes stuck in your mind. Now actualizing it might be difficult the first time, especially if you are upset and you dont even feel like smiling at anybody, but just try it out..u might not feel it in you, it might come out fake but just smile!.. I believe you'll get better at it. Also you can tell your friends, family, loved ones about what you are doing. That way you are accountable to them and they can remind you when you are going off course. Tough hey!

When you master the first task you are ready to move on to the next, till you have trained your will on each task. At the end of it all am sure your attitude will improve exponentially. This might take a while but I think it is worth your time.

I know this can be very arduous but with God on your side and determination in your heart you can do it. Am starting my training today! ;o)

Please feel free to share your experiences with me or on any other tips on how to improve one's attitude. :)