Hope you had a wonderful week reflecting on the Personal/Emotional bank account. This is Metaphor used to identify and understand the strength of the relationship with self and others around you. If used well this is going to be the platform to build very strong relationships which will lead to a 'Highly effective Life'. Highly effective people world over leverage this most important principle like all other principles we were discussing in the past weeks and the paradigms of life too.Let's look at some of the aspects this week to get a deeper understanding of this metaphor.

Keeping promises to yourself

Have you ever had friends who seldom come through? They say they will call you and they don't. They promise to pick you up for the match and they forget. After a while you don't trust them. Their commitments mean nothing. Same thing happens when you continually make and break self-promises, such as 'I am going to get up at six tomorrow morning' or 'I am going to get my home work done as soon as I get home'. After a while you don't trust yourself.

We should keep the commitments we make to ourselves as seriously as those we make to the most important people in our lives. If you are feeling out of control in your life, focus on the single thing you can control -yourself. Make a promise to yourself and keep it. Start with a small commitment, e.g. to deposit hundred rupees in your bank account, which you know you can complete, like committing to eat healthier today. After you have built up some self-trust you can go for the more difficult deposits [a thousand rupees and beyond] such as how do I get better grades etc.

Do small acts of kindness

I remember reading a statement by a psychiatrist who said if you ever feel depressed, the best thing to do is to do something for someone else. Why, because it gets you to focus outward, not inward. It's hard to be depressed while serving someone else. Ironically, a by-product of helping others is wonderful for you.

Get out of your way to say hello to the loneliest person you know. Write a thank you note to someone who has made a difference in your life, like a friend, teacher, or coach. Giving gives life not only to others but also to you.

Be gentle with yourself

Being gentle means many things. It means not expecting you to be perfect by tomorrow morning. If you are a late boomer, and many of us are, be patient and give yourself time to grow. It means learning to laugh at the stupid things you do.

Be honest

When you look up synonyms for the word honest, these are some of the words you may find: upstanding, incorruptible, moral, principled, truth-loving, steadfast, true, real, right, good, and genuine. Not a bad set of words to be associated with, isn't it?

Honesty comes in many forms, firstly there is self-honesty. Like the famous singer/actress Judy Garland said "Always be the first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else".

Then there is honesty in our actions. Are you honest in school, with your parents and your boss? If you have been dishonest that means you have had a huge withdrawal and you will have to keep depositing very heavily to come to build up a good balance and it takes time to build up the deposit too.

Renew yourself

You've got to take time for yourself, to renew and to relax. If you don't, you will lose the zest for life.
Tap into your talents.

Finding and then developing a talent, hobby or a special interest can be one of the single greatest deposits you can make to your own personal bank account.

Quote:

"Always be the first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else".
Your feedback to the writer: ameer@franklincoveysouthasia.com