Behavior – behave with thought and feeling – live a meaningful life

Our behavior marks us for the type of person we are. For where else does the way we behave emanate from - from within us does it not? Where else could it come from? The way we act and the way we behave are products of the way we are, how we feel, how we think, and how we keep our emotions in check -amongst other things.

What can we say about the way we behave?

We live our lives in the ways we see fit. We can follow others or mark out our own path and follow that. If something does not work we try something else. And then we can revert back to what we were doing on a whim. Logical and contrary at the same time . . .

The ways we act are often responsible, both for our own efforts and their repercussions, but also for the effects on others and the world we live in. At other times we can get an idea in our head, sometimes emotionally directed, and we will allow nothing to get in our way.

We can be regular and easy going people, but also can be contrary and unpredictable. We follow rules and regulations, and yet can rebel against them at the slightest inclination.

What mark do we leave on life?

What is there to gain from a study of behavior? Sure we think, we consider, we act, but often it is our behavior that actually leaves its mark on our life and the things we do. It leaves our imprint. This may be good and positive or it may be bad and negative. It can be a complex phenomenon.

• our attitudes can determine our actions and our degree of success
• our conduct can advance our endeavors or force them into the mud where progress becomes problematical
• the way we function depends upon a lot of things but the way we behave is one of its major influences
• our manners are good when we behave well, but can be very poor if our behavior deteriorates
• our routines have a bearing on how we act and how productive we may be in life
• if we behave poorly our level of tact may well suffer and we may well end up saying things we should not have said as well as things we did not want to say
• our deeds may be on the poor side of helpful and be largely selfish in nature

We can see how things can deteriorate if we do not keep things in check.

Where does all this come from?

How we tackle things in life leads to our behavior. How we see things in life leads to the way we feel and think about things and hence to our behavior. How we act in life leads to certain behaviors being adopted.

Where we end up on life is in no small part down to the way we behave. The code we follow. The deeds we perform. And the way we conduct ourselves. How we handle situations and ourselves. How we manage our life. How we treat others and ourselves.

And why? It is clear that the things highlighted in the previous paragraph will play a major role in how we live, how we act, how we are in life.

How to lead a responsible, caring life?

How can we lead a responsible life? We need to have a firm and solid foundation for our life. We need to live our life from a sound basis. We need to live by good solid principles and standards. Then our behavior will be responsible, productive and satisfying.

What rules, principles or standards might we live by? We need

• to develop, refine and live by our own set of values
• to realize our virtues and let them support us
• to let ethics into our life and benefit from them
• to live by responsible standards and principles

And how can we live and behave on this basis?

We can learn

• to make good decisions
• to set goals and achieve
• to manage our life well
• to have a place in our life for self development and self improvement
• to look after ourselves with a good self care and self preservation program

And what can we develop to help us behave with responsibility?

We can

• become self reliant
• avoid self criticism and self deception
• become more self aware
• live with more self control and self discipline
• develop a good and supporting system of values

So, a possible secret - but no secret really - is to live by good standards and principles. And then to utilize them to help look after and take responsibility for our life.

We can then behave and lead a life that does not respond to circumstance, for that can play havoc with what we do and how we act. We can move to a life where we are confident and take the lead and then let our inner feeling of enjoyment and satisfaction motivate us to lead a productive and active life. A life of endeavor and contribution.

And we can truly enjoy our lives. And have a live of giving and not wanting to take. To do things, to behave, without continual thought for gain. To not put a price on good behavior, but rather to prize it. To give thanks for our ability to contribute to life as a whole. To be able to rejoice in the way we behave and the way we live our life.