What is the best way to encourage others to be their best self? If you are around people who dress immodestly, or use inappropriate language, or offensive music you are likely to do similar things. Sometimes you can choose the people who are near you, like friends, sometimes you can't when you are at work or school. So how do you get people to act in an ideal way without them feeling you are trying to controlling them? Which half the time leads to purposely do what you asked them not to just so they can feel they they are the boss of them.
What is the best way to do this? As often as not, asking someone to change their behavior results in them blatantly asserting that they are in charge, not you and repeating the offensive behavior, or in an apology and change (around you at least) What is a way that can respect their ability to chose and encourage them to change. If a person is dressed immodestly and you tell them to "get some clothes on!" they may not know what you mean, and if they do, they might not have the ability to do so. Or desire to do so. So they in order to rearrange their habits, they have to be the one to do it. This is most effective when they want to do it. In order to make someone do something we can do it in two ways, make them (that time) or make them want to (more effective) I was thinking a muumuu might be a good coverall for a temporary situation in school or what have you but we have to teach in order to learn and in order to effectively teach we need to teach with love in order to teach with love we need to first love.
This makes me think of the doctrine/the why. Understanding "why modesty" from loving examples/teachers helped instill in me the importance of modesty. I want to be modest. "Teach correct doctrine and they will govern themselves" -Joseph Smith Jr.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how thought provoking your thoughts are :)