IMPORTANCE OF GOOD MANNERS & DISCIPLINE

GREAT men are not born great, they grow great. This is a memorable line from the bestseller novel &
movie The Godfather which rightly brings out the fact that one's character is defined by how he or she
lives their life. If we study some great leaders from the past or present, we can observe that most of them
were from ordinary families and their parents were not leaders before them. On the other hand we have
seen some people from great leader's families trying to be great but falling flat.

So, what is it that makes some people great & some ordinary? It is something called as our character.
Now what defines our character? Our behavior, our manners, our outlook on tackling problems and
meeting challenges all define our character. We are known to others by the manner in which we behave
with them, the manner in which we treat them and the manner in which we lead our life. As the saying
goes, one should gain respect, not demand respect. Gained respect will be long lasting whereas
demanded respect will be short lived.

Our character will be formed by many factors, some in our control and some out of our control. Two of
the most important factors which are in our hands are Good Manners and Discipline.

The way we behave with people, the way we treat them, respect them, argue with them, all define who
we are. Everyone likes well behaved people around them and respect them and value their friendship.
Good manners doesn't mean simply being courteous to others, saying thank you, excuse me, sorry etc. It
is much more. We should be caring about others, we should respect other's opinions even if they differ
from ours, we should be helpful, we should accept our mistakes. If we develop these manners we will be
loved & respected by everyone we meet. People would love to be in our company and will listen to our
opinions seriously.

The second important characteristic is Discipline. Discipline means keeping our mind in control to behave
in a manner which is right. We cannot always behave in the right way. We feel lazy many times and dont
want to study. We want to eat junk food and drink soft drinks. We know these things are not good but
still we want to do these. Our self control on our mind to avoid bad habits is what discipline is all about.
All good habits are not built in naturally in us. They have to be developed. Self discipline is what makes us
maintain our good habits and our good manners. We have to keep practising, overcome our laziness,
become mentally strong to lead a disciplined life.

If we are able to lead a disciplined life and are well behaved with others, we will be appreciated by
everyone around us. They will look upto us as role models and try to be like us. More than that, we will
have self satisfaction and confidence to meet any challenges in life. Our attitude and our character will
help us scale new heights and reach the pinnacle of success. So friends, lets realise the importance of
good manners & discipline in our daily life and strive to instill these traits in ourselves. Thankyou.