PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT

Efficiency Helps You Climb Greasy Pole of Success

Mental discipline is necessary for everyone, writes Gordon Byron. To train yourself to think in an orderly, systematic way, is insurance against over-work and nervous breakdowns. Breakdowns come because of inefficient, wasteful and disordered thinking. Mind training saves money and averts sickness. It is possible to train your mind yourself. It needs also the strength of will to persist with your mind improvement programme over a long period. We think that those who have developed exceptionally efficient faculties have been favourites of fortune. We tend to regard them as singularly lucky people. This view is highly myopic. It does not see beyond the nose. A long-range view reveals that those with highly developed mental abilities have worked hard to attain their level of efficiency. They have steadfastly followed certain basic principles. Their efforts have borne fruit. We too can adopt the same course and raise ourselves to their level. What are those principles? Are they within the practical range of us all? The inefficient mind tackles problems calling for judgement and decision without bothering to sort out the facts first. It worries about the entire problem instead of taking it bit by bit in a calm, orderly way. You need to discipline your mind so that you think about one fact at a time. Have faith in the ability of your mind to make the right decision, once it has considered the full story. Wrong judgements are usually made on the basis of inadequate knowledge or preparation. Once you know the facts intimately, you can usually see what decision is needed. If you do not know the facts, take trouble to find them. Do not resort to guessing. Your judgement will be right more often than it is wrong if you discipline yourself to work from exact, detailed knowledge, rather than from vague generalities. Much of our mental activity is sparked off and maintained by impressions received from the world around us. These impressions come to us through our five senses. The sharper our senses, the more impressions our brain will receive, and this will result in greater sensitivity, awareness and alertness. We should, therefore, strive to quicken our senses.
159 ! SEPTEMBER 2002 ! THE COMPETITION MASTER

Cobwebs
E have to clear our mind of our mental cobwebs. That is, the subconscious mind has to be purged of its unhealthy elements. These act as serious obstacles to our mental health and efficiency. There are lots of young men who try hard to boost their mental efficiency but their efforts end in smoke. What they need is not desperate effort, but mental health. They have to clear their mind of its conflicting and consuming elements like worries, emotional strifes, resentments and bad temper. Once they set their inner mind in order, the results start showing in the improvement of personality and mental efficiency. Every young man aspiring to make his mark in life should know that memory plays an important role in success. If memory is like a sieve, it cannot retain anything. One must set about improving it. In the first place, stop telling yourself that you have a poor memory. Remind yourself that it is improving. Pin-point the cause of forgetfulness. It is your wish, does it suit your purpose, do you forget things after committing them to memory?

PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
Memory

NE simple but highly effective way is to change your expression. Instead of saying, If I remember, always say, I shall remember it certainly. This exercise will boost your confidence. Lack of interest plays tricks with memory. Cultivate interest. Give a matter your full interest and attention and it will seep into your mind. Never miss minor detail. Make every effort to comprehend and understand a thing fully. You cannot reproduce from memory something which you have neither understood nor grasped. Cultivate the habit of putting things in black and white. Read them as often as you can. Learn to absorb through observation. The art of absorbing information of all types is a sure step towards efficiency. A constant stream of beautiful ideas is flowing between human beings. Soak them in like a sponge. Let them become a part of your information. You become a sort of ready reckoner. The most efficient are those who can pull information out of their own mental shelfs at will. By observation is meant seeing not merely looking at. This method, first adopted by Professor Agassiz of the Harvard University, can be usefully adopted with variation to suit your purpose. When a new student comes to him, he gives him a fish to observe for a certain length of time. The student is then asked to describe it. The first description is scant and sketchy. On the second attempt, the description improves. On the third or the fourth, it is almost complete. That is, the student shifts his attention from mere seeing to looking.

Lack of attention to detail and inaccuracy is the same as inefficiency itself. It is chiefly a matter of imagination and thoughtfulness. I know of a person who is extra-cautious in doing all the duties. While writing letters, for example, he never misses the date, as most of us do. He never signs a paper without reading it carefully. He seldom neglects his physical appearance and so on. With a small amount of imagination, you can improve these badges of efficiency. You must get into the habit of reviewing each item carefully. It is of utmost importance to keep your priorities in top order. You have to guard against wasting time and energy on unnecessary detail. Draw a line between the essential and the inessential. Some people become inefficient simply because they do not sift the two. They get overpowered by trifles. They get entangled in a mess of trivialities. This must be avoided. Your judgement will be as sound as the foundation of fact it has to work on. Take time to organise the facts in an orderly way. When two possible solutions or lines of action have to be considered, write down the points for and against each of them. Then consider each list carefully, one at a time. Weigh up the advantages and disadvantages until you are able to decide which will be the better.

Decision
F the two sides remain obstinately equal, then it does not matter which you choose. Once the choice is made, act on it immediately. The man of decision is prompt in action, wasting no time on second thoughts. It is an inefficient mind which does not trust its first thoughts. Promptness and regularity are two other marks of an efficient person. In deciding matters an inefficient person
160 ! SEPTEMBER 2002 ! THE COMPETITION MASTER

Accuracy

EGARD for accuracy and detail is the hall-mark of an efficient person.

takes more time and even then his decisions are half-hearted. They lack the firmness of a single-purpose. Naturally, they do not get executed as they should be. This habit should be developed slowly in matters of day to day life. Choosing the picture you want to see, the book you want at the railway stall, selecting a tie, are some instances of decision-making at random. Form the habit and bigger decisions will pose no problem. Your efficiency gets a boost. A mentally efficient person is regular. He keeps a constant watch over his watch. He does not let it play tricks with him. He keeps his appointments, remembers birthdays and anniversaries. He has plans of work. He plans his work and works to his plan. If you wish to win others acclaim as an efficient person, master the art of putting your ideas of which you have a multitude, into concrete shape. Efficiency is another name of mental discipline. This is necessary for any one aspiring to go up the greasy pole of success. Here are some simple steps: Train yourself to think in an orderly, organised manner. Slovenly thinking results in slipshod work. This is the mark of inefficiency. D i s o rd e re d t h i n k i n g c a u s e s tension and results in wasteful effort. Mind-training saves effort, energy and ensures appreciation of others. The essence of efficiency is good judgement. This comes from facts, and experience. Gather facts first. Then put them to best use. Avoid guesses and surmises. Be sure and on firm ground. Follow the principle of good journalism: facts are sacred. Once the choice is made, stick to it. Be firm and steadfast. Work out the plan in an orderly way. Avoid hurry. It shows you in bad light. Let it said of you: he is a busy man. If you want to get something done, give it to him!