Life Discipleship Resources from Dr. Henry Brandt
The mind is the most private part of your inner life. No one can know for sure what you allow to enter into it, and no one can know what goes on in your mind unless you reveal it. The longer I work with people, the more convinced I become that everyone can and does control his mind. We make our own decisions, and no one can change them. Everyone has the power of choice.
One part of your life that either builds self-respect or tears it down is behavior–the choices you make. Everyone is involved in a multitude of choices every day and your self-respect depends on the quality of your performance.
You have to live with yourself. But what about the rest of the world? Your behavior toward others is just as important to building your own self-respect. Interacting with people often reveals unexpected, self-centered behavior.
There are a few basic principles that can help us to get past our self-centeredness. [Read more…]
The use of words is the most common subject that comes up in my consulting room. This is a difficult subject to write about, because words get tangled up with the emotions as well as with a person’s mental activity.
With words, we compliment and praise one another. Our words can be comforting, helpful, supportive, instructive–revealing all those good things that are on our minds.
On the other hand, words can cut, hurt, or tear someone up without leaving a mark. Words can be used to deceive, mislead, or conceal what is on your mind.
A line of research concerning a group of young people called “indestructibles” was once reported in a leading psychological journal.
These indestructibles lived under extreme poverty, and came from very bad home conditions that were located in slum neighborhoods. Yet, they were well-adjusted and good students.
That research got me to thinking of some people I’ve met in my life who fit the description of “indestructibles.”
It is true that we cannot prevent troublesome or sorrowful events from intruding into our lives. But some people live heartily, joyfully and considerately one day at a time. They rely on their power of choice, whether their problems are solved today or not.