Overcoming Your Personality

We all want to improve something about ourselves or our lives. To improve, we must change. Yet, we are all resistant to change. Our personality has its own homeostasis that, when left on autopilot, will revert to its setpoint – unless you develop the skills to override it, which is no simple task. Our bodies are marvels of scientific amazement at their ability to grow from a single cell into the enormously complex, resilient organisms they become, with their ability to adapt, grow, strengthen, heal, and endure. The pinnacle of this biological complexity is our brain; even more complex is the mind operating the brain. And it is there, in our minds, where the personality we call ourselves resides and reigns over our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.?

If you want to change something about yourself or your life, you must work through your mind to effectuate that change. And just as our bodies have evolved over millions of years to become what they are today, so have our minds. Our minds' primary responsibility is to keep us alive. To this end, it has developed the ability to do almost everything we need to do to stay alive automatically – on autopilot – without needing our attention or consciousness awareness, which means the mind does this all subconsciously. These automated subconscious programs – habitual patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors – that the mind runs to keep us safe and alive have evolved to become extraordinarily robust and resilient, with their own homeostasis designed for stability, continuity, and endurance. This means they resist change – other than evolutionary change – including the change you hope for in your lifetime.?

This is what you are up against if you want to change something about yourself. This isn't to say that we can't intentionally change our minds. People successfully change their minds all of the time. They are in the minority, though, as most fail at sustaining positive change because the process is more complicated than most people understand. It's not that it's that complex so much as it is that most people aren't willing to invest the time and energy into learning about themselves – their minds and how they really work – and how to create the sustainable change they seek. I have spent a lifetime studying and learning how my mind works and how to change it. I believe that this knowledge is accessible to all who are willing to invest the time and energy to acquire it. Applying this knowledge to develop the skill of personal improvement (that is, personal change) is also available to all who are willing to invest the time and energy to practice daily.??

In fact, our minds have evolved to such a high level of consciousness that it has been a philosophical and social imperative for thousands of years now for us to not only learn how our minds really work but to become masters over our own minds and, thus, our own lives. This is the essence of self-determination and wisdom.?

"To Know thyself is the beginning of wisdom."?

Socrates?

Socrates taught that over 2,400 years ago, which had probably been thought by other philosophers for hundreds or thousands of years before him. Understanding yourself – your mind – and how you work is not new. In the 1800s, Wilhelm Wundt in Germany, and William James, in America, formally established the scientific field of psychology. Since then, the understanding, knowledge, and practice of changing our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors have grown exponentially. We now know a great deal about how the mind works and how to change it. And the importance of this has only increased with our understanding. Even the United States Marine Corps – not a bastion of psychological puffery, but a world leader in effective leadership development – understands this.?

"Know Yourself and Seek Self-improvement."?

U.S. Marine Corps Leadership Principle #1?

Psychology is a soft science still expanding and evolving, with more theories than settled facts. And the more we learn, the more complex it becomes. But this doesn't mean it is beyond the laypersons's reach. A great deal is known and can be learned and practiced to change and improve ourselves in all the positive ways we desire. The psychological tools are available to all of us to use on ourselves to lead the changes we seek to live up to our full potential and create the lives we dream of. Success and happiness are yours if you believe they can be and are willing to do the work to create them.?

If you want to achieve sustainable positive change to enjoy a happier, more successful life, there is a safe and supportive environment to explore your transformation: askalthea.org. It’s free to join and explore but requires curiosity and a little courage. You are so worth it!?

I also offer Mindset Transformation Coaching for those seeking to accelerate personal growth.?