This is continued from How to develop your personality with meditation? (part-1)
#8 Communicating Effectively
Have you noticed how you know a person’s personality even before he speaks? Our presence often speaks volumes about us that even words can’t convey at times. Aren’t you naturally attracted to a person who is radiating joy, love, enthusiasm? A few minutes in meditation every day can help cleanse our presence of stress and we float in a sea of positivity.
But what about when we communicate through words? “Effective communication calls for refinement of our thoughts and emotions”, remarks Radhika Srivastava. Meditation brings clarity in thoughts and intellect and helps us perceive situations with precision. We are therefore able to express ourselves in a way that makes sense and base our decisions on sound facts.
#9 Appreciating Others’ Efforts
Just an occasional pat on your back – isn’t that inspiring enough to make you try harder? Many times, the best in us shines through when it is appreciated. That’s because people notice qualities in us we never knew existed!
“Appreciating others uplifts our consciousness as well as that of the other person. It also creates a warm and conducive atmosphere around us. Make sure you are not being fake, however”, remarks Radhika Srivastava. In meditation, we are able to overcome prejudiced thoughts, which do not allow us to connect with the other person. When we are able to transcend such thoughts, a sense of belongingness and caring develops and we start appreciating even their smallest efforts. “When the appreciation is coming straight from the heart, it will definitely touch the other person. This way, meditation brings out the best in us and also in others, and makes us a friendlier person,” adds Priya Rao, Sahaj Meditation teacher.
#10 Making Sound Decisions
Have you noticed the constant tussle in our mind? Every moment of our life, we are taking decisions, consciously or unconsciously. It's the choices that make us who we are, and we can always choose to do what's right. But how do we guarantee that the choices we make today will help us in the long run? We can when we are clear in our mind. “Meditation refines our thoughts and intuition. It also settles our emotions and brings sharpness of intellect. This helps us in making sound decisions,” quotes Radhika Srivastava.
#11 Equanimity
Do you agree that our life is nothing short of a roller-coaster ride with its ups and downs? And to achieve something in life, it is imperative that we keep moving on with equanimity. There are things we all want to do, but might not always be able to. And there are times we accomplish goals we never thought we could. Each of these moments might overwhelm us with grief or excitement respectively.
“A meditator takes the best from each situation and doesn’t get swayed by it. Meditation brings the wisdom that both the good and the bad times shall pass. And the only thing that’s permanent is change,” quotes Radhika Srivastava. So don’t let the tough times beat you and the good times take you by surprise. This attitude makes you friendly and cheerful. This, on the whole, reflects in your personality.
#12 Physical Appearance
As a 7th grader, you probably would have read that light travels faster than sound. But you really got to see this knowledge in action when you found people forming opinions of you from your looks even before you spoke to them. That’s probably why so much importance is given to the way we look.
Today, our gait, our dressing sense, and the way we carry ourselves greatly defines who we are. And the good news is that you can easily inculcate these qualities in silence. When you meditate, you glow. That’s because you are able to delete stress from each cell’s memory and give your skin a direct boost of energy. When you look beautiful naturally, you tend to feel more confident about yourself, and that shows in the way you carry yourself. Needless to say, you will leave a mark in the minds and hearts of people around you.
Based on inputs from :
Priya Rao, Sahaj Samadhi Meditation teacher
Radhika Srivastava, International Faculty, the Achieving Personal Excellence (APEX) program, and Puravi Hegde, International Faculty, the Achieving Personal Excellence (APEX) program
