June, 2005 
Whatever efforts are necessary to develop a good personality will bring adequate and satisfying returns. The time will be well-spent, the efforts well-rewarded.
If there is a type of personality that pays—and there is—you naturally desire to know more about it so that you may bring it forth in your own life and be in a position to reap the benefits from it. First of all, what is personality?
A definition which seems to meet our requirements at this time is: Personality is the way a man expresses his individuality.
Personality is comprised of the characteristics one displays, the degree to which he has developed certain traits and qualities, and the way in which he shows them forth in his life—appearance, speech, actions, attitudes, the way he appears to the rest of the world.
Personality is the result of what one does—his thinking, his emotions, his actions—with what he thinks he is, his individuality. He is the son of God, individualizing all the qualities of God. According to this spiritual heritage, he has every characteristic of his Father: Life, Love, Wisdom, Peace, Power, Beauty, and Joy.
What You Think You Are Proclaims Itself
The more you come to realize your true spiritual nature the more you will be able to let it flow through you and express as your personality; the more you will be able to show to all the world your understanding of Life. The clearer your thoughts are about your real nature the more you will be able to experience it, and both you and all those about you will benefit. You are an individual and must express that individuality to the fullest extent of your personality. But you must always remember your Source—God’s Nature.
To the extent that you fail to recognize or express your individuality, to that degree you will be denying yourself the experience of the joyous attributes of life—God. That which others know you to be through your personality will be good or bad depending upon what you know you are. So proclaim yourself in no uncertain terms, in the highest terms and qualities that you know God to be.
Personality Advantages
Now that you know the possibility of developing a good personality, let us consider some of its aspects.
Social. Those with a good social personality get along well with others; they are always desirable associates. The simple, easy, but sure way to test your own personality in this respect is to ask yourself candidly, “Do people like to have me around?” If they do, you may be sure that your social personality is a pleasing one. Of what value is it to you for them to like having you around? Well, it practically insures your holding your position. It brings you opportunities for advancement and it draws to you many friends. It is pleasing and gratifying to have a large number of friends; often it is the secret of progress, abundance, and fine opportunities for increased useful self-expression. It makes life an eminently happy experience. It does pay to have people to like to have you around.
Physical. A good personality asset is good physical health. Health of body is the outpicturing of health of mind. If you accept the Perfection of God indwelling you, you automatically assure yourself of good health. If there were no other inducement to the cultivation of a good personality, this in itself would be enough.
Financial. The rewards of a God-like personality are beyond computation. It holds the secret to abundance. It insures business and professional success and opens the way for financial remuneration. Often financial rewards rest to a considerable extent on one’s ability to bring all his capabilities to bear on a situation. One whose personality is agreeable, kindly, considerate, and tolerant usually meets little or no opposition. He does not have to fight for what he knows is right. In fact, others easily fall in line with what is good and right. If, temporarily, he finds it necessary to set aside his own desires, he does it gracefully and in a short time events and conditions become readjusted and he soon finds things going in the right way. Personality is the root of one’s financial success when he expresses what he is.
Spiritual. The individual who attunes himself to God accomplishes much in his personality development, the expression of his individuality. He is constantly striving to reproduce in his own life high spiritual qualities, and as a result they are daily becoming more and more fully expressed. He is so deeply interested in being about the “Father’s business” that he steadily grows in his ability to reflect the attributes of God.
One with a well-developed personality is of course a happy person. As the result of social, physical, financial, and spiritual well-being, happiness is assured. Even in the midst of the varied requirements of a busy life he is ever serene, poised, and at peace with himself, his fellow men, and his God. •
Excerpted from The Basic Ideas of Science of Mind, published by DeVorss Publications
|
