FIND STRENGTH IN TOUGH SITUATIONS!

It is good that sometimes you face trials and tribulations, for they often make you think about yourself and help you realise that you are meant for bigger and better things than the present situations you might find yourself in. Embrace these tough times as purifying moments to make you aware of how strong you can be.

It is good that sometimes you are contradicted and that others think bad of you or think that you are inadequate.  These times often help you become humble and keep you safe from unwarranted pride you might have. For it is when you are outwardly condemned by others and no credit is given to you, that you are especially motivated to work hard to prove how capable you are to yourself.

Once you dwell more on those things that drain your energy and motivation, you are bound to be stagnant and stuck in one place. Do not dwell on the past for it has the ability to crush any motive you have of improving yourself. Use tough times as stepping stones in launching yourself ahead, be bold enough not to compromise on what you know is already yours. When you wake up in the morning say thank you, for grace, love, peace of mind and for yet another opportunity to go out there and try.

Develop positive habits now that set you on a path to success and make it your daily task to stick to these positive habits. Invest in yourself and become a valuable asset to yourself and success. Read more and more things that encourage you, listen to motivational speakers, take your health seriously and exercise more, say more positive things to yourself on how capable you are. Always encourage yourself and remain positive.

Do not confuse movement with progress; just because you are doing a lot more does not mean you are achieving anything. If you do not like what you are doing, where you are or the attitude you have towards your vision and goals; change it you are not a tree. Dr Eric Thomas says, “Be obsessed with improving yourself”. Each day set yourself to succeed and condition your attitude to remain positive. Above all be disciplined, without self-discipline you are going nowhere slowly.

“Self-discipline insists on success”

SELF DISCIPLINE!

Why is that many people are frustrated by where they are in life; what they are doing, the job they have, the income they have, the bank balance they have and so many other things going on in their lives? They are constantly envious of the people around them who seem to have it all under control and living the kind of life they would rather have been living. How come you are not successful as you would like to see yourself? How come others are more successful than you are? I believe it is lack of self-discipline in every area of one’s life.

Very few people start off with so many advantages and we all get the same 24 hours in a day. Self-discipline ensures that you do what you have to do when you have to do it without procrastination. Many people confuse immediate pleasures and immediate self-gratification with success. Living to please others has never been a good trait towards success. Self-discipline is very important and should be a habit that is cultivated early towards success. Good habits are hard to form, but good to live with, so gear for self-discipline.

Brian Tracy in his book called No Excuses puts it very well and says: the payoff for developing high levels of self-discipline is extraordinary! There is a direct relationship between self-discipline and self-esteem. The more you practice self-control, the more you like and value yourself. The more you discipline yourself, the greater is your sense of self-respect and personal pride. The more you practice self-discipline, the better your self-image. You see yourself and think about yourself in a more positive way. You feel happier and more powerful as a person.

Clearly it does not take much for you to be on the path to success. It is a matter of making the initial decision to discipline yourself in moving towards the goals you have. It is the time to gunner for that job you have wanted, time to get back in shape and lose that weight, time to make some relationships right, to plan your finances well, have a good relationship with your wife or children and many more. Success is not just the accumulation of money, success comes in various forms. The sooner you realise that, the better your life would be. Identify that area of your life you want to set right and go for it.

Do not take the easy way out! Your ability to think, plan, and work hard and to discipline yourself towards what is right and necessary before you do what is fun and easy is the key to creating a wonderful future for yourself.

“Good habits are hard to form, but easy to live with”.

LOVE OF SOLITUDE AND SILENCE!

Sometimes when one reads, they stumble across some inspirational material and easily letting go of it is like losing valuable treasure. Lately I have been reading The Imitation of Christ by Thomas a’ Kempis. Read on how important one needs some time-out alone and get to appreciate the values of one’s life and the blessings one receives. So I decided to extract the short passage as it is and share it, because I found it very useful. I also believe it will be useful for you as well. So enjoy! He says:

“Seek a convenient time to be by yourself, and meditate often upon God’s loving kindness. Do not bother with writings about unusual matters, but read the things that speak to your conscience more than the things that occupy your head. If you will withdraw yourself from worthless conversations and from roaming about idly, as well as from listening to new things and rumours, you will find enough free time that is suitable for meditation on good things.

The greatest saints avoided the company of others when it was appropriate and proper to do so, and choose instead to serve God in secret. One writer once said, “As often as I have been among men I returned home less a man than I was before”. This we find true when we have long conversations. It is easier not to speak a word at all, than to speak more words than we should. It is easier to remain home, than to keep yourself well when you are away.

The person therefore who intends to achieve the more inward and spiritual things of religion, must go apart with Jesus from the influence of the multitudes. No one can securely appear in public, but those are secure who would gladly stay at home out of sight. No one is secure when they speak, but those that hold their peace willingly. No one rules securely except those who are willing to be ruled. No one commands securely, but those that have learned to willingly obey.

If you desire true repentance of heart, enter into your secret place and shut out the din and commotion of the world. In your secret place you will find what you will too often lose when you are away from home. The more time you spend in your secret place the more you will like it, and the less time you spend there the more you will loath it. If in the beginning of your conversion you are content to be in it and find it satisfying, it will soon become a dear friend to you and a source of great comfort…

If you had not wandered around and paid attention to idle rumours, you would have better kept your happy peace of mind. But since you sometimes delight in hearing about new and unusual things, it is right that you should suffer some uneasiness of heart from it”.

May this extract have an impact on the way you view your life and the influence you have to yourself and those that come into contact with you. It takes just a few minutes of meditation to reconsider certain things and perhaps destructive paths.

“Stay with Him in your closet, for you will not find greater peace anywhere else”.

SELF INTROSPECTION!

There comes a point and time in a person's life, that one has to look back and self-examine one's journey in life. A time that one looks at the positives life has awarded them and weigh them with the negatives. By so doing one is able to see how far they have come in their development. Personal development is not only judged against the merits of others, but against our own goals and ambitions. Whether or not we have managed to get to a point where we can confidently say we have at least achieved some if not all of our goals and aspirations. This moment is a necessary one and I call this a time of "self-introspection".

 

It is important that you get to a stage where you evaluate yourself and be honest with yourself. Get to a stage where you do not sugar quote realities just to avoid the pain of facing up with reality. If you have failed in some areas; it is important to own up and identify such areas to avoid future repetition of mistakes. As much as it is important to scold yourself once in a while, it is also important that you acknowledge things well done and goals accomplished. Positive assertions to oneself are always good motivating factors towards the attainment of even bigger goals.

 

Sit down at a certain point in your busy schedule and write down your achievements and failures. It is always a good way of cross checking at some point the things you have done and ought to do. I know reality can be hush towards one finding time to do so, but it is part of a process of self-discipline that ultimately leads to the achievement of many goals. Thus self-discipline is very important in the process of self-introspection.

 

Be honest with yourself, as I mentioned earlier. It does not make sense to try and avoid certain facts and realities of what is truly going on in one's life. If certain important and urgent adjustments have to be made, by all means be bold enough to take the step and initiate such changes or adjustments. Be mature in your dealings, it takes you putting your pride aside sometimes and face the music. It does not help to look at things in a sympathetic way just to sooth your feelings. It will not change anything.

 

Evaluate yourself and self-introspect your progress and you surely will get to the kind of life you want to get to. It takes time and never lie to yourself that it will take a few hours to correct mistakes that took you years to commit. Above all always be proud and take pride in the little you achieve. It builds you up to a better and more progressive individual. It is meaningless to wish for a long life, and to be careless about living a good and useful life now, therefore, take a moment and look inward. The gifts and graces that come from that will encourage you

 

 

"It is meaningless to wish for a long life and to be careless about living a good and useful life".