WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BECOME? THINK IT AND ACT IT!

 Today I want us to dwell on the power of thinking and its' connection to becoming. This is a key aspect of personality building, simple also but most difficult to understand. The reason being that thought at times comes involuntarily and tends to be very difficult to control. This therefore formed yet another important sub to the topic of discussion -- how best to control your thought. 

The issue of mind control is as much as self control. Hence anyone who can control him/her mind would sure have no problem controlling his/herself, thinking and actions. It is the mind that initiate it all, the thinking, then the thought triggers the body to action. Thus, whatever that man does starts right from the mind. Think of the platform you are reading this at the moment, think of the school you attended, think of the house you are leaving in, think of the bank, the cloths, all once an idea resided in someone's mind before it came to manifestation.

Nothing made by human that has not once existed in the mind before it came to be. This shows a strong connection between Mind, Thought, actions and Manifestation. The body is in perpetual communication with the mind and mostly works on it's instructions.

If you are a student of computer, you will understand the body as a computer hardware, the mind as the software, the thought as a program bits and the brain as the processor.  You will also understand the process of thinking as a software programing, the way the computer works depends on the programme written in the software, if the right codes are written into the software, the computer does the right thing, but if the wrong code is written into the software, the computer either misbehave or crashes. 

Same is applicable to human beings, when the positive thoughts are constantly fed to the mind the person has no other option that to become positive, while in other case the negative thoughts are constantly fed to the mind the person definitely turns out to become negative.

What this mean therefore, is that the mind is the power of manifestation. whatever that is placed in the mind, unless removed and replaced, must come to manifest. why did I said replaced? Because the mind is such a retentive entity that whatever that it holds, lingers even when it is removed unless it is replaced entirely. This is sure an important way to control your mind.

In other to be in absolute control of your mind, you must first of all learn to remove and replace unwanted thoughts from your mind. It is very important you decide what you want your person to manifest, examine your mind and get rid of any contradicting thought, then replace with the positive thought about your  desired person, as soon as this is achieved, you will see your self becoming that which you desired to become. At times negative thoughts do not just left as easy as that, but with constant countering with the positive thinking, you wont even know when it get lost.


The next is act. It is very important when you think you act. Thus, Norman Vincent Peal puts it, "if you want a quality, act as if you already have it, if you want to be courageous, act as if you were - and as you act and persevere in acting, so you tend to become". Aristotle rather put it this way, "Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way. You become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions". Therefore you become what you think and act.

By
 Chukwuka Basil Uche

...To be continued.
 

 

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MEANINGLESS GOALS: DIFFERENTIATING A FOOL AND A WISE ONE.

A farmer had a dog that used to sit by the roadside waiting for vehicles to come around.

As soon as one came he would run down the road, barking and trying to overtake it.

One day a neighbor asked the farmer "Do you think your dog is ever going to catch a car?" The farmer replied, "That is not what bothers me. What bothers me is what he would do if he ever caught one."


Are you living your life like that dog who continually pursue what it has no knowledge of what to do with when he succeeded in catching it ? or do you look before you leap?


What are you pursuing in life? What is your sole aim for going after it?  If you do not think of any useful aim why bother  yourself pursuing it at all? Why waste your time pursuing that which you know is of no use to you? Why waste your precious time in futility? 


These are very important questions the wise ones ask that the fools never bother to ask before pursuing any undertaking in life. It is the instinct of a man to acquire but it is the skill of the wise ones to seek after the required. The wise ones draw to themselves only what they actually required, while the fools always seek to acquire whatever their senses can perceive whether needful or not. The following are other differentiating traits between a fool and a wise one :

THE FOOL

Just like the dog mentioned above, the fools pursues whatever that come their way with no reasonable aim of what value it contribute to their life, nor any knowledge if it is of any use at all. 

A fool delves into every venture without the prior knowledge of  its' value, required skills, risk involve, benefits and disbenefits.

He is moved by his innate sensitiveness, not sensibleness thus he always respond to his instinct of vicariousness and continues to acquire what are not necessarily required.

He does not let go of trivialities and can waste his entire life fighting for just no course, whenever he felt his 'right' is tampered with, without considering if such a right is worth the fight at all. 

He battles to maintain unnecessary protocol even when such contribute no values to life. 

He makes if needless issue and unnecessarily expect others to respect him while he do not care to respect himself.  

He is a glutton who would always want to eat, even though not hungry, whenever he sights or perceive an aroma of anything seeming to him to be food. 

Unfortunately, his life always ends up in a big irony -- he pursue all and achieve non.


THE WISE ONE

Conversely, the wise one always looks before he leaps. 

He always let go of frivolities and goes after substance and its' essence.  

He is very calculative of whatever his undertaken have to offer at the end. 

He assesses whatever he pursues, where, when and how to go about it, and always arms himself with needful knowledge of it all, the expected risk, and the outcome before undertaking any venture. 

He is a genus who only strike at the essence and let go of the trivial. 

He do not engage in a fight that will never end up resulting in needful value. 

When his right is involved, he always weighs the right, the fight and mark, then make the best judgement to engage in the fight if the right is worth the mark or to let go of the right if the fight is not worth the mark. 

He controls his selfish instinct and always goes only for the needful. 

He always respects himself and do not unnecessary expect others to respect him. 

He is not a glutton,  but only eats when it is needful to eat. 

He is a man who does everything with reason and such a man after his life continues to impact the lives of men.


Now that you've know, which do you choose to become, the wise or the fool?


Choose to become a fool? 
Continue to chase shadow while you left behind the substance.
Wine and dine in futility then die shamefully in absurdity. 
Seek to acquire all and then end up achieving non.


Choose to become a Wise?
Then learn to let go of frivolities and chase after the substance and essence. 
Fight your innate inordinate desires, selfishness and gluttony. 
Seek after what you required not what to acquire.  
Learn to let go of right which is of not reasonable value.
Before you fight have a clear view of the need, the end and your gain, if there is any reasonable need,  then arm yourself and embark on the fight, if there is no need at all, hold on, sheet your sword and call for a dialog. 

NOTE: 

''If you want be wise, you should learn to respect yourself for the wise ones respect themselves while the fools expect other to respect them''

''Always have a reason for whatever you do for acting out of reason is what make people unreasonable''

By 
chukwuka Basil Uche

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LIFE IS A GIFT: APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE TO OBTAIN WHAT YOU DO NOT HAVE

If you are alive, you are better off.
Do not wish to be like others but be yourself and always try to be  your better self. Know that wherever you are, there are always some people who crave to be there. whoever you crave to become also crave to become someone else -- such is life! Whatever life gives to you  is all for your own good. Accept it and life a happy life but deny it and face a great woe. 


Do not be ungrateful with what life offers you but with much enthusiasm and thankful heart, work with what you have. It is only when you appreciate what you have that you obtain what you do not have.  

The following line from an unknown author is a great inspiration that will help to drive home the point:

Before you think of saying an unkind word – think of someone who can’t speak.

Before you complain about the taste of your food – think of someone who has nothing to eat.

Before you complain about your husband or wife – think of someone who is crying out to God for a companion.

Today before you complain about life – think of someone who went too early to heaven.

Before you complain about your children – think of someone who desires children but they’re barren.

Before you argue about your dirty house, someone didn’t clean or sweep – think of the people who are living in the streets.

Before whining about the distance you drive – think of someone who walks the same distance with their feet.

And when you are tired and complain about your job – think of the unemployed, the disabled and those who wished they had your job.

But before you think of pointing the finger or condemning another – remember that not one of us are without sin and we all answer to one maker.

And when depressing thoughts seem to get you down – put a smile on your face and thank God you’re alive and still around.

Life is a gift – Accept it, Live it, Enjoy it, Celebrate it, and Fulfill it.

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IS LIFE UNFAIR TO YOU? JUST DIG!

What is it that bothers you in life? 

Which problem is it that had left you in a great dilemma? 

Have you lost hope and concluded that that life is very unfair to you?

You have gotten it all wrong, life is no unfair to you neither do God hate you.

But that which you see as natures unfairness to you is a hard nut inside which lies a great fortune for your greatness. 

This a an irrefutable fact of life and only few have come to realize it, such are the true great men there are in the world. 

SILVER SPOON ANALOGY

True great men are not those born with silver spoon in their mouth but are those who realized they had only the wooden spoon, try hard to use the wooden spoon to dig deep into life in order to explore the untapped gold mine and used it to fashion out for themselves an enviable golden spoon which life can not just give to anyone.

 It is only those born with wooden spoon that have the natural endowment  to dig deep into the nature's untapped gold mine, those who are born with silver spoon always felt that life is fairer to them so they are better of and as such need no struggle in life. they are not naturally endowed to discover, they are born consumers of this world. This is no surprise because no one will like to dent his sparkling silver in the filthy of the earth, but if you had a wood and know that the silver you envy is in the earth, you would not mind but use your wood to dig. It is then when you dig you realize that the life has a better in store for you, the gold, which can not just be giving out without the dig.

When a life had presented you with a wood, don not wait but dig, it is only the strongest of this world that wood are giving with the sole aim to dig out for the hidden treasures of the world. Those are the people who dig out for solutions to problem of the world  and making the world a better place. 

 Do not envy the man born with a silver spoon, he will definitely end up dinning in a silver plate unless he is wise enough to use it for a wood and dig like the one who has gotten a wooden one in order to acquire the golden plate which is only hidden beneath the filthy earth of this world.  

No problem is a disadvantage for the wise. it is only a fool that lays blames for each problem he encounters, he blame God, blame himself, blame the devil, the witches and wizards, in fact everyone including the generation yet unborn. The wise only engages his brain when challenged with a problem, come up with solutions and spread it for his own joy and the betterment of the society at large. 

Whatever life had offered you is for a purpose geared towards your greatness, the only task you have to make it real is dig, the deeper you dig the closer you become to your greatness. Never you complain or lay blames when life had given you a wood, just dig! 

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GREATNESS: A CHOICE, COURSE AND THE SCORE

Greatness entails the quality of outstanding importance or eminence, illustriousness, fame or renowned. Great one is the one who is important in the society and worthy of note; the one whose name is written in gold in the book of history and carried along from generation to generation. Great men are honorably selfless: the one who gave up his sleep for others to sleep; the one who gives himself headache in order to heal others headache. Great men even though they die, their names and deeds remain immortal.

Greatness is not physical wealth even though it attracts physical wealth. It is the wealth of mind, and only the wealthy of mind attains it. That is the reason why majority desires to be great while few made it to greatness.

Shakespeare rather opined, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them"(William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night). 

Although that seems to be true, but definitely not what it is, we should try not to misunderstood wealth with greatness. Greatness is not an inheritance but achievement, a score of rightful decision, determination and hard work. It is not luck but a choice. 

Everyone is born great, but not everyone chooses to be great. Yes, greatness is in the mind and everyone poses a mind; but it is a choice, a course and the score. Do not be misunderstand it, wealth can be inherited not greatness. You can only inherit wealth not greatness. Someone can make you wealthy but you can only make yourself great.Yes people can help you in your part of greatness but they can never make you become great, you choose it and give it  yourself.

You must choose to be great and follow the right route to greatness; the end lies the score of the successful journey - greatness.  Lucius Annaeus Seneca rightly observed, "It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness".

The truth is this, if you want to be great, think and act great. This is because greatness doesn’t come through desire alone. You have to think then “act.” Aristotle’s promise is this: "if you want a virtue, act as if you already have it and then it will be yours." Change comes through action, and action comes through thinking. You must think first, Act, then you become. It is natural, you become what you think, thus Paul wrote, “...be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."(Romans 12:2)

The Patron Saint of Manliness, Teddy Roosevelt, also lived by this principle of acting in order to become.  He said:
"There were all kinds of things I was afraid of at first, ranging from grizzly bears to “mean” horses and gun-fighters; but by acting as if I was not afraid I gradually ceased to be afraid".

Teddy wanted to be fearless even though he wasn’t. Instead of sitting around and thinking his way into courage, he put himself into dangerous and uncomfortable situations and acted courageously. Eventually he became the man who led the charge up San Juan Hill and journeyed down an unexplored river in the Amazon. He took action in order to become the man he wanted to be.

Modern psychologists have a theory on why acting-to-become is such an effective way of changing who you are and how you feel about yourself, this is termed cognitive dissonance. It explains that when there is a conflict between your self-perception and how you’re actually behaving, you experience dissonance or tension, and your brain moves to close the gap by shifting how you feel about yourself to match how you’re acting.


Hence, if you want to achieve greatness, you must not see it as ”luck" but as an achievement based upon right decision and hard work. You must take the decision, trade the path and land to that glorious city of greatness. 

Don't be confused, greatness doesn't mean being "master of all", it means being outstanding in a particular field of endeavor. Knowing what to do, when to do it and how best to do it. It must not have a something so big or overwhelming but that little thing you have interest at doing, with must effort and dedication, you can work to make it big. Ray Lewis thus said, "Greatness is a lot of small things done well. Day, after day. Workout after workout. Obedience after obedience. Day after day". Ziz Ziglar in his submission stated that you do not have to be great to start but you start to be great.

Greatness calls for creativity and innovation. Doing what everyone else has been doing but in different way and come out big with a different landmark result. The difference you make is what makes you great. It is the difference that people sees and reference you for, as no great man ever acclaim himself great. William Hazlitt is on the same page when he put, "No really great man ever thought himself so" (William Hazlitt Whether Genius is Conscious of Its Powers?) 

You're not great if you've not make any difference and people have not seen any reason to talk about you. Greatness is not an ordinary occurrence for ordinary people; it is a great task that you must first condition your mind for. It requires feeling and acting beyond ordinary, overall transformation of your ordinary person into extraordinary being, thinking differently and seeing things in the eye a great man.

 In the words Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." 

 A Yiddish Proverb also says, "If you want your dreams to come true, don't sleep."   

Above all, seek divine presence as no one would claim he has power of his own and it is only with God that you can do all things. (cf Philippians 4:13). 
In the words of Albert Einstein, "When the solution is simple, God is answering." 

Thus Lucius Annaeus Seneca submits, “It is true greatness to have in one the frailty of a man and the security of a God."
It is in you! So start now, make the right choice, follow the right course, think it, act it and you will definitely become great!

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