A green bamboo background with the words "To grow yourself, start from knowing yourself" in black print

How can a lie be helpful? Well, try this one on for size: ‘Personality’ is an illusion we invent.

As I say/read the above, most of me emphatically rejects it. I am a certain way. I know that. I’ve lived with myself most of my life and I’m a good observer. I like to do certain things; I don’t like other things. All this is not an illusion; it is real, it is me.

And yet… a part of me whispers counter thoughts, quietly murmuring that the statement might contain a kernel of truth, a shred of wisdom. I know my tendency does not have to be my destiny; I know that I can and have changed, evolved, learned, and grown. Perhaps I can sculpt myself more than I think, perhaps I have more power than I give myself credit for; indeed we have many sides we can draw on, pull forth.

This I know to be true: this falls very much into the ’Think you can, think you can’t, you are right’ category. Not saying that chanting ‘I can change, I can change’ will magically create a new you BUT believing you can’t change pretty much guarantees you won’t change. If I swirl the phrase ‘Personality’ is an illusion we invent around and around in my mind and wonder what if it’s true? What if I did create my personality? Or at least participated in its invention? That means I can continue the process, this time with more deliberation and focus. And illusions lose their power once they are seen for what they are not.

Closing Quotes:

“I have personality, but personality doesn’t have me.” – Mae West, 1893-1980

“The core of my personality consists of many selves.” – Hans Bender, 1907-1991

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.” – Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948

“A personality has to be flexible and adaptable, so it doesn’t break when faced with new demands.” – Walter Cronkite, 1916-2009

“The personality of a human being isn’t something constant. It’s constantly changing according to external forces, and it reflects most accurately what those external forces are.” – Stephen Crane, 1871-1900

As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier