A recent podcast that seemed to strike a very positive chord, based upon the feedback that I’ve received from several of you, was entitled, “Take Yourself Back to You”. This blog expands upon some of those ideas.
It has been told that after Michelangelo finished sculpting his world famous statue of the David, he was asked how he was able to create such beauty out of what had simply been a large block of marble. He reportedly responded that, “I saw the David in the block of marble at the very beginning. My only job from then on was to remove everything that wasn’t the David”.
In many ways, the process of making positive personality change requires similar thinking – by having a vision, setting goals, and achieving them
It is a process, and part of that process involves getting rid of those attitudes and behaviors that have hardened to the point of needing to be chiseled away. Enemies of positive growth and change include low frustration tolerance, anger, pessimism, resentment, fear, and low self-esteem. Over time, they can become so much a part of the personality that some people can no longer recognize the emotionally healthy parts of themselves.
Think of the complex things that young children can accomplish before they begin incorporating enemies of change. Into their personalities Think about the complex set of skills that are required to learn to walk and talk and separate from parents and socialize and play with friends.
Learning such complex tasks requires a willingness to take risks and a willingness to make mistakes and a level of confidence that promotes persistence until success is achieved. We all had these attitudes at one time. Some of us lost them – and in the process we lost our unique qualities.
Visualizing change and then setting and achieving goals enabled Michelangelo to create the David. It can enable each of us to chip away at those enemies of growth and change. We can remove everything that isn’t David (or Jennifer or Scott or Amy). Each of us can create our own unique Type P Personality – and take pride in our accomplishments. We can make growth and change an ongoing part of our lives. Let’s do it!