Author says emotion determines personality, too

Humans are creatures of habit, and some researchers say they cannot change their personalities past the age of 25. But Jon Nodine, author of “Window Three: You Always Have a Choice,” says they can.

Nodine, who graduated with degrees in finance, marketing and management from the Kelley School of Business, said that his experiences at IU, along with his experiences in the workforce, greatly influenced his book.

“Window Three” is based on what Nodine said is a behavioral time line in which personalities develop. Emotions lead to an attitude, which becomes a person’s actions. Actions become a habit, and habits create character.

Nodine said most training focuses on the third step: how a person acts.

However, he said emphasis needs to be put on emotions. Without starting at the beginning and finding something that encourages a change in emotions, a person cannot build his or her character.

“If you don’t get to the emotions, you’ll never change,” Nodine said. “A person’s goal in life should be to maximize your emotion, and that’s what this book is about.”

Robert Smith, professor of marketing in Kelley said because of the harsh economy, people need to get into the mind- set of being more creative and changing in order to grow, but it’s something no one is grasping quickly.

“The world is changing so fast now,” Smith said. “But here at IU it is changing at an academic speed, which is very slow.”

Nodine said while “Window Three” was meant to apply to any economy, it also emphasizes changing to be more creative, which is useful in today’s economic decline.

“I would say the most important aspect is realizing how much creatures of habit we are and putting this into the new economy,” Nodine said. “The more creative a student coming out of the Kelley School of Business is, the more prepared they will be for this new economy.”

Nodine said that while everyone can change the emotions that shape his or her personality, not everyone wants to, and those who do want to change might not always reach their goal.

While Smith said his book might have come out at the wrong time because of the economy, the subject must be taken seriously.

“With technology moving so quickly and changing so rapidly, people need to get into creativity, change and growth.” Smith said. “It will take a few years for people to catch on, but the idea is greatly needed.”