Background articles
Believe... in Yourself - Mansukh Patel
In Manuskh Patel’s encouraging book, Believe in Yourself,
the reader is taken through Manukh’s remarkable success
formula for overcoming self-imposed limitations and developing
a natural and irrepressible confidence.
The book is based on Mansukh Patel’s best-selling audio
tape –now a CD –which contains a distillation of
the most powerful techniques for developing self worth provided
by the Dru tradition. Many people refer back to their first encounter
with this assembly of Mansukh’s approaches to believing
in yourself as a turning point in their lives.
Introduction
In the Introduction to Believe in Yourself, Mansukh recalls
his childhood in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. There, the young
Patel often encountered the Maasai tribes people, and
their natural self-belief formed a powerful influence on his
life. Mansukh’s father, Chhaganbhai Patel, allowed Mansukh
as a child to spend many hours with the Maasai elders, knowing
the benefits their immense wisdom and confidence would bring
to his child.
Begin with yourself
Mansukh Patel encourages us to begin with the person we can
influence most –ourselves. You can be your own best friend
or your own worst enemy, according to Patel, depending on the
decisions you are making on a moment to moment basis.
Decide now, Mansukh encourages the reader, to take control of
yourself and your life and to give up the notion that you are
an unwilling player in someone else’s film. As Mansukh
says, this is your life, your film and you are the director and
producer!
The author encourages us to ask a
variety of questions in this section: Can you imagine being completely
happy with yourself just as you are now? Can you imagine looking
in the mirror in the morning and feeling in love with yourself?
And how many people do you know who do?
For Mansukh, these are very important questions, because true
happiness depends upon just how much at ease we are with ourselves
and who we are –and how much love we feel for ourselves.
In contrast, he points out, people with low self-confidence
feel vulnerable and limited, not liking to take any kind of risk.
Their ways are often counterproductive to both themselves and
their families. Mansukh refers the reader to think more about
what confidence means, and suggests that confident people are
endlessly enthusiastic with an attitude that says, ‘I have
been honest with myself and my potential, so that only good will
come out of this.’
Mansukh Patel’s long experience in empowering people leads
to a variety of conclusions. One useful observation is that this
kind of positive attitude prevents any deflation of self-confidence
and self-esteem should the results not meet expectations.
Mansukh concludes his discussion on Self Awareness with the
affirmation:
Affirm: I am honest with myself and my potential so that only
good will come out of everything I do.
Self Awareness
A key characteristic Mansukh Patel learnt from the Maasai warriors
was that those who are self aware are totally present, honest
and open, trusting themselves and others. They are confident
about their ambitions and goals and take responsibility to always
project the very best out of themselves.
When we have real awareness, Mansukh says, we can make our life
into something, accepting our self responsibility and thereby
implementing changes in our life.
Resistance and patterns
Mansukh Patel’s father was an expert in understanding
the nature of the mind, its limiting patterns…and also
it’s potential for greatness. Mansukh recounts in the book
how we often do not recognise our hesitation and resistance for
what it is. Developing our powers of self-awareness we start
to see our patterns of thought and inner behaviour very clearly.
From Mansukh’s point of view, this means that the absence
of self-confidence is often betrayed by our actions, avoiding
the issues in question or using a whole range of delaying tactics.
Better to wait until tomorrow, we think, until the mind is clearer.
Better not to bother people etc.,
Therefore, according to Mansukh , lack of self confidence
can prevent all our moves on the way to establishing a more satisfying
life.
Self Awareness Exercises
To intensify your self-awareness, Mansukh invites you
to try doing something different every day which heightens your
awareness to the world around you.
Go for a walk each day and learn to become aware of the world
around you. This appreciation of the outside will also make
you into a more sensitive human being.
Remind yourself of all the wonderful things that have happened to you throughout
the day.
Decide to do a different sport, read a book, or write in a journal any inspiring
things that have happened to you.
Make an appointment with yourself each day and enjoy the best of yourself
in this appointment.
Decide not to take the easy route out of life but instead try to find the
fun and excitement in life. Surprise yourself every day.
Be spontaneous in some act of generosity and kindness.
Learn to ride the waves of life with dignity, agility and courage. This is
what life is all about.
Three stages to complete confidence in yourself
Mansukh Patel’s Believe In Yourself has three sections
designed to progressively take you from self limiting behaviours
and beliefs
into a firm, stable, passionate enthusiasm for life and for the
gifts it can offer us.
The second section gives us techniques to establish
the groundwork for achieving real self-belief. Mansukh’s
suggestions are:
1. Gratitude - The foundation of self-love.
2. Self Love and Self Empowerment.
3. Making the necessary changes.
4. The Mind - The source of all our power.
5. Introspection - A way to inner harmony.
In the third section, Mansukh Patel goes further, and
discusses the conditions that will conclude your acceleration
to full self-belief:
1. Actualisation - making yoru dreams a reality.
2. Goal Setting - The power of actualisation.
3. Perseverance - The means to self-confidence.
These are potent formulations, each one giving the advice and
techniques that Mansukh learned from his parents and which
have helped thousands of people. Drawn from the Dru background,
the techniques Mansukh offers in these stages have the capacity
to change your attitude about yourself into a natural, effortless
faith in your capability and your inner strengths –for
years to come.
You will find Believe in Yourself by Mansukh Patel to be an
invaluable investment in your future.
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