Building a Great Future

By John Mangalath

My beloved students and colleagues prompted me to write this book. In this book I deal with some of the important tips for a successful life. The behavioral values and good manners cover the whole range of our conduct in relation to our neighbours. The behavioral values and good manners must blossom forth from well-formed inner dispositions and they define a person. In the society a person is measured with the way he or she relates and behaves.
Psychologists would say that the character of a person is formed in the early childhood. However a grown up can mend his/her personality and polish his/her behavioral pattern if he/she makes earnest attempts for the same. Impression of a person will circulate fast in the society. If one gives a good impression of his/her personality, his/her name and fame will circulate fast everywhere. So in this book I have tried to deal with some of the important aspects that would help us in every walk of our life. It would be useful to young and old alike as I have tried to deal with some of the important stages of life that we all go through. There are twenty nine chapters in this book and each chapter is dealt with simplicity and clarity which would help the readers to understand the whole book without any strain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 30, 2013
• ISBN: 9781493155101

John Mangalath

Fr. John Mangalath, is a Catholic priest from India, Kerala, ordained in the year 1997. He was a Lecturer and Principal of St. Vincent De Paul College, Andhra Pradesh, India. He is associated with students bodies, teachers associations and administration of the College and through these promotes value based education. He is presently working as a pastor in the diocese of Saskatoon, Canada. He has published number of articles on value based education in many of the leading magazines.

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Copyright © 2014 by John Mangalath.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 12/23/2013

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CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgememt

Introduction

Chapter 1 Basis of Behavioural Values and Good Manners

Chapter 2 Educating a child

Chapter 3 Home

Chapter 4 A Student’s Prayer

Chapter 5 School

Chapter 6 College

Chapter 7 Relating to others

Chapter 8 Play—Time

Chapter 9 On the streets

Chapter 10 Behaviour and conduct

Chapter 11 Dealing with superiors and elders

Chapter 12 Writing Letters & Phone calls

Chapter 13 Table Manners

Chapter 14 Tact and Delicacy

Chapter 15 Independence of Character

Chapter 16 Personal habits

Chapter 17 In Life

Chapter 18 Start Today & Pay Attention to the most Important

Chapter 19 Portrait of a True Gentleman

Chapter 20 Steps to Good Etiquette

Chapter 21 Small word that matters

Chapter 22 Kids’ Relations with Adults

Chapter 23 Delivering Criticism Smoothly

Chapter 24 Dealing with Bad News Gracefully

Chapter 25 How to Handle Difficult Conversations

Chapter 26 How to teach good manners

Chapter 27 How to correct bad manners at home

Chapter 28 Good Thoughts about Life

Chapter 29 ABC—of life

DEDICATION

Affectionately Dedicated to the youth who

will shape the new tomorrow through their

quest for nobility and profound character.

ACKNOWLEDGEMEMT

I AM INDEBTED TO my beloved parents, brothers and sisters for inspiring me through their sacrifices and to my dear students who have prompted me to write this book.

I am thankful to my friends for encouraging me in this endeavour. Thank you, caring friends, seen and unseen, some nearby, others very far away.

INTRODUCTION

W E DO NOT live in isolation. We live in a society. As persons living in a society, we need to acquire certain basic good manners and behavioural values that are essential for a respectable and successful life, because our success in life depends mainly on our relationship with other people.

Today there are new questions, new challenges, doubts, disenchantments, expectations and dreams. To face such a life it is essential to empower ourselves with basic good manners and behavioural values.

Good manners are the spontaneous and natural manifestation of good character which is built on sound principles of moral life. That we are created in the image of God and therefore all of us are equal and deserve respect and love is the foundation of good character.

We must try to build up a good character and we must begin to work at this while we are yet very young.

If all our learning and knowledge cannot make us good—mannered, then our education is a failure. We cannot succeed in life unless we acquire good manners.

After all, ‘we pass this way but once; any good therefore, that we can do or any kindness that we can show to any human being or any impression we can make, let us do it now. Let us not postpone or neglect it for we shall not pass this way again’.

The famous Chinese poet and philosopher KWAN-TSU has said:

While planning for a year—sow corn

While planning for a decade-plant trees

While planning for life—train and educate people.

We need some behavioural values and good manners to make our life successful, happy and joyous. They are those values which we exhibit by our conduct and behaviour in our daily life. Equipping ourselves in behavioural values and good manners implies that we have to educate ourselves by learning from others and use all the wealth and talent lying dormant within us to acquire behavioural values and good manners. Behavioural values and good manners will adorn our life and spread cordiality, friendliness and love throughout the world. In what follows we shall see the types of behavioural values and good manners that can be cultivated throughout our life. These values will make us perfect gentlemen and graceful women.

CHAPTER 1

Basis of Behavioural Values and Good Manners

B EHAVIOURAL