Moving to the Next Level: What Needs to Give Way?

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We are a few weeks into the new year, and I’d like to believe some of you are still pumped up about what you can achieve this year. At the start of a new year, many people visualize moving to the next level; they talk about it, and sometimes make plans. But as the days go by, they begin to lose steam, and just can’t seem to keep up with their plans. The truth is that there are many obstacles we build up without knowing. These obstacles stand in the way of us achieving our dreams, and until we address them, we will not move to the next level. So the big question is: what needs to give way? 

#1 Your comfort zone: You are very unlikely to move anywhere if you are comfortable where you are. If you see nothing wrong with where you are right now, then your plans to move to the next level will take a back seat. Yes, contentment is a necessity if you intend to get through life in one piece; however, there is a very thin line between being content and accepting mediocrity. You need to ask yourself what side of the line you are on. If you want to move to the next level, you have to become uncomfortable with where you are. You have to want more. You have to look for more. You have to be ready to work for more. 

#2 Your Wrong Associations: So many people remain stuck where they are because they are friends with the wrong people. Having the wrong association can keep you in the same spot forever. What are the aspirations of your friends? Are their aspirations limited? Do they believe in your dreams or point out that many people are living with less? Do they uplift your dreams and support your ideas, or are their utterances towards you full of limitations? Beware! Many people live out the limitations of their associations without knowing it. Many people find themselves in the same position because of the wrong associations. You must ask yourself if you are in the right company. If not, it is time to move on. 

#3 Your Attitude towards Success: Many people are scared of success even though they fail to admit it. Success comes with power; power comes with responsibility. Perhaps the fear of success is really just a fear of responsibility. Some people are not afraid of success, they simply detest it. They detest other successful people for having so much more than average. Your attitude towards success can either push you towards it, or prevent you from attaining it. If you are jealous and spiteful of successful people, you are less likely to move to the next level. If you are afraid of losing those around you should you become successful, then you are going to remain stuck in the same place. Change your attitude towards success. Admire successful people, read about them, internalize the lessons they share, mix with them, sit in their company, hold discussions with them, and watch how things change for you. 

Cheers to a prosperous 2016!

The Key To Your Success Is In Your Mind

"The mind is very powerful." I am sure you are  reading that statement for the umpteenth time. I got tired of hearing people say it to me. "It is all in your mind", "train your mind to be positive", "think positive and you'll feel positive"...I always thought "really?" and roll my eyes. But as years have gone by, I can tell you for sure that your mind plays a big role in who you become and what you make of yourself. Everytime I told myself I couldn't do something, I failed to achieve it, and everytime I told myself otherwise, I pushed myself beyond my limits and achieved seemingly impossible targets.

I recently asked myself..."why do people, who are offered the exact same opportunities, achieve different levels of success? Why do certain people live a certain way and refuse to take up any opportunities that can make their lives better? It is all in the mind. A friend of mine once posted on facebook...."what would you do if you were  not afraid?" The question struck me the moment I read it; there are so many things I've had on my to-do list for months but for some reason, I always found a good excuse. My excuses ranged from "I don't have the capital to get that off the ground" to "I don't think I can succeed at that". To be honest, I am glad I did not go ahead with some of my plans, but there are others that still plague me and I am slowly ticking them off my list as I achieve them.

It is no secret that for you to be successful in life, you need to believe in yourself. But believing in yourself is not enough! There are many people out there that believe in themselves but are sitting on their couches, doing nothing! Laziness is a mindset. It is a mindset that is tied with the mindset of entitlement. Lazy people believe they are entitled to certain privileges in life and should have everything handed them. If you find yourself abandoning projects halfway or being too lazy to even get them off the ground, you have a lazy mindset! That is something you need to change if you want to succeed.

Another mindset is what I call the 'poverty-driven christian mindset'. This is a mindset that many christians imbibe, believing that success and wealth are against God's desire for humanity. Owing to this, many christians refuse to take up opportunities that could better their lives. They are quick to the quote the bible verse that says "the love of money is the root of all evil". The LOVE of money, not money itself. Does God want his children to be impoverished? Definitely not! He has great plans for all of us, we just need to change our mindsets.

Like I said earlier, believing in yourself is not enough! Not if you let negative people rent space in your head. many of us have the "I am not good enough" mindset so when we have a dream and others shoot it down, we quickly accept what they are saying as the gospel, instead of looking at our idea again and checking to see if we can improve it, we tell ourselves.."If Miss A or Mr B said it is stupid, then it is stupid!" STOP leving your chances of success in the hands of those that couldn't care less if you become a hobo tomorrow. I'm not saying you should not accept constructive criticism; I'm saying you should learn to draw the line between constructive criticism and negative comments that are intended to bring you down.

xoxo