CULTIVATE VIRTUES TO ELIMINATE YOUR WEAKNESSES

When we work towards self-improvement, introspection may reveal one or more defects within us that need to be removed if we are to become a better person.

- B.K. GEETA

Those who are strong-willed sometimes resolve to overcome the flaws by sheer willpower. It may look like a logical strategy to them, because of their way of thinking. But weaknesses cannot be eliminated by force — we need to transform them by cultivating a corresponding virtue.

Forcing ourselves to be the person we want to be can work for some time, but it usually backfires. Willpower can create internal resistance. For example, if we are trying to become calmer and less angry, and repeatedly tell ourselves, “I must not get angry...”, we are actually reminding ourselves that we tend to get angry, and thereby reinforcing that self-image and behaviour. That will make it all the more difficult for us to overcome anger. Forcing oneself can build discipline, but such suppression rarely leads to lasting change. To achieve real and stable transformation, we need to substitute our weakness with a positive quality that naturally displaces the weakness.