Imporvement Begins With Self

There are so many things in which I wish I could take credit for. I want a wise saying or philosophy to be attributed to me. There are already so many until I don't believe there are any new ones to come up with. I want to discover the key to success that will work quickly and effeciently. Many other people have come up with their formulas, but they include things like dedication and persistence. Even though I may not be known for anything earth shattering, that doesn't mean what has already been thought of and said is a waste.

I have found many good self improvement guides by several different people. There is a running theme to them all, "Improvement Begins With Self." Whether it is being a good leader, prosperous, or being a good Christian, you must begin with self. Marcus Mosiah Garvey was featured in a newsletter in which I did not agree with the philosophy. His reasons for giving his "lessons" on bettering self are not reasons I can get on board with, but the lessons themselves are sound and I would like to share them with you. As I stated earlier, many people offering advice/instruction for improvement hold to these main points:

1. One must never stop reading. Read everything that you can read, that is of standard knowledge. Don't waste time reading trashy literature. The idea is that personal experience is not enough for a human to get all the useful knowledge of life, because the individual life is too short, so we must feed on the experiences of others.

2. Read history incessantly until you master it. This means you own national history, the history of the world, social history, industrial history, and the history of different sciences; but primarily the history of MAN. If you do not know what went on before you came here and what is happening at the time you live, but away from you, you will not know the world and will be ignorant of the world and mankind.

3. To be able to read intelligently, you must first be able to master the language of your country. To do this, you must be well acquainted with its grammar and the science of it. People judge you by your writing and your speech. If you write badly and incorrectly they become prejudiced towards your intelligence, and if you speak badly and incorrectly, those who hear you become disgusted and will not pay much attention to you, but in their hearts laugh after you.

4. A leader who is to teach men and present any fact of truth must first be taught in his subject.

5. Never write or speak on a subject you know nothing about, for there is always somebody who knows that particular subject to laugh at you or to ask you embarrassing questions that may make others laugh at you.

6. You should read four hours a day. The best time to read is in the evening after you have retired from your work and after you have rested and before sleeping hours, but do so before morning, so that during your sleep hours what you have read may become subconscious, that is to say, planted in your memory.

7. Never keep the constant company of anybody who doesn't know as much as you or (is) as educated as you, and from whom you cannot learn something from or reciprocate your learning.

8. Continue always in the application of the things you desire educationally, culturally, or otherwise, and never give up until you reach your objective.

9. Try never to repeat yourself in any one discourse in saying the same thing over and over again except when you are making new points, because repetition is tiresome and annoys those who hear the repetiton.

10. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. When you know a thing and can hold your ground on that thing and win over your opponents on that thing, those who hear you learn to have confidence in you and will trust your ability.

Garvey's 11th point is directed to African Americans, in particular, about being wary of what they read because at times, it is written by particular authors with a perspective that may not be inclusive of the black experience.

It is worthy to note though, because of our country's interest in changing the history of America children learn in the school classroom. The rewriting of history has always been an issue. People still argue on which translation of the Bible is correct or doctored. It is said that the winners get to decide what is recorded in history. Our education system running amuck is another post within itself.

The above lessons are lessons we should instill in our children as we teach them to read before they enter the classroom. Correct grammer and first impressions are something the parent shoud be deeply concerned about because it greatly impacts their child's future. Don't leave your child's future in the hands of ANYONE. Example these lessons at home so that it will be a natural part of everday life.