Happy New Year Friends!
Welcome to 2021!!
And how are you settling in?
It’s a new year and there are a lot of goal setting and vision board parties going on, which is good. Because they provide a sense of focus and direction and help us to keep things in perspective. They serve as a guide on what to do, how to do, etc. as it relates to accomplishing our goals.
However, all of that is not enough. No, they are not guarantees for success.
And do not get me wrong, I am big on setting goals and having the right systems and structures towards achieving those goals.
However, I have come understand that it is not enough to have goals, to desire the good life, to pray and fast, or give seed offerings . . . the ultimate determinant of success and accomplishment is our minds.
Hence the starting point to achieving any goal is examining our minds, as to whether they align with our desired expectations.
What is the state of your mind?
The mind plays a super important role in the realization of any dream or goal. Our mindsets project the kind of life we will live. Beyond our backgrounds, our network and connections, our resources, our degrees and qualifications, the mind plays a major role in the grand scheme of things.
I know this to be true because we live inside out, not outside in.
And it is why believers are admonished to guard their hearts with all diligence, because out of it flows the issues of life (Proverbs chapter 4, verse 23, you can read the entire chapter for more understanding).
Your mind is your world. Whatever you hope to experience externally, starts from within you.
Your mindsets, your beliefs, your perspectives, your paradigms, the lenses with which you view the world, all determine how far you go in life. Your mind can either spur you on or slow you down. It can aid your plans or abort your plans.
No matter your external realities, your mindset influences your outcomes in life.
This means that, even if someone is privileged with the best of backgrounds, environment, connections, pedigree, wealth, etc, but has a toxic mind, none of those privileges will amount to anything.
If their minds are shallow, they will have shallow dreams and live shallow lives. If their minds are bound by limiting beliefs, all their external efforts at success will amount to nothing. If their minds are filled with negativity, they will always project negativity, whether subtlety or overtly, and their negativity will keep them blind to the positivity and possibilities around them.
So the important question is, what is the state of your mind?
It is important because it sets the tone as to your ‘why’, ‘how’, ‘what’, ‘where’, and ‘when’. And because your mind is your world, your external outcomes manifest from your internal conversations.
For instance, when any business or venture fails, what actually failed is the mind behind the business. It means that at some point, the mind stopped growing, it stopped ideating and keeping up with the trends in its industry, it stopped improving on existing systems, structures and solutions. It means that the mind got used to small successes and then it stopped dreaming big. The mind stopped making the right decisions.
Yes, the mind failed first, and that failure reflected physically on the business.
You do not want to be that person who dreams big on paper but has a small mind to accommodate and execute the dream. Because such a person will struggle and end up frustrated because their small mind does not match their big dreams. It is impossible for two to work together except they agree.
So the question again is, what is the state of your mind?
There are people who believe that the world is evil and there are no good people around. So they struggle to cultivate sound relationships. They do not experience good things because their minds can’t conceive good, let alone recognize it.
It is a poor mindset that makes certain people believe that there are scarce resources in the world. And so their default setting is to grab all they can grab, and hoard all that they have. And they can go as far as cheating or stealing from others, just so that they can be comfortable.
The mind is very powerful, and it takes awareness and deliberate efforts to master it. Permit me to leave you with these questions;
What belief(s) drives me? What are my thoughts?
What do I think about myself? How do I see yourself? Where do I see myself?
What do I think about others? How do I see the world?
What is the state of your mind?
This is where I draw the curtain today. Thank you for staying with me.
Ayokanmi
Ayokanmi Oluwabuyide is a Personal Development Enthusiast who hopes to inspire young adults to live their best lives without compromising their individuality. She expresses this passion through her Own Your Upgrade blog and podcast.