A fish that is originally large will not grow to its potential size if it is kept in a small tank, if the same fish is transferred to a larger pond it will grow big until it reaches its fullest potential.
A plant that requires sunlight to grow will not bear fruits if it is planted in the shade, in an environment with no exposure to the sun. If it is planted with an abundance of sunlight then it will grow into a fruitful plant. How many times have we allowed our external circumstances to decide our destiny?
There are two obstacles that prevent us from reaching our fullest potential. The first one is the way you define yourself and the other is the way you define others.
While I was overseas, I lived in a completely different environment. There used to be a black African American, who was about 6.4” in height and was like a giant. He never spoke with anyone nor did anyone confront him.
He walked about as though he was the ruler of the environment. One day I met him inside the large washroom. He did the same thing he did to everybody else, he stared at me in anger. I looked directly into his eyes and said “You dare look at me like that, if you look at me like that again, I’ll …………….. you”. The moment I stood up for myself, scared him so much that he never looked at me again until I left that particular place. Everybody else who defined him as a giant unknowingly has defined themselves as dwarfs. I was bold enough to define myself as the giant and define him as the dwarf.
How many times have we defined our problems as giants and ourselves as the dwarfs?
The instant you substitute your perspective of the problem by defining yourself as the giant, that is when you acquire the confidence to overcome the problem in a gigantic mindset. The moment you assign your problem to become the giant, you automatically give your problem mastership over you. On the contrary, you can assign yourself to become the giant, at that very moment you master over your problems.
In terms of my professional life, my main competitor is a famous multinational company.
We have been able to acquire a large number of market shares from them as a result of the way we think, communicate and behave with them in the commercial world. It is not that we underrated them nor do I teach you to underrate your problems.
What I am actually requesting from you is that you should never allow your problems to be mastered over you. The instant you define yourself as a giant, you have already won half of the battle. Just have a look at the manner in which Arjuna Ranatunga walked, talked and behaved on the ground during the match with Australia.
It is not that he underrated the ability of Steve Waugh, Mark Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and other talented Australian Cricketers. It is the giant mentality that Arjuna possessed about himself and his comrades.
Recall the undisturbed focus Susanthika Jayasinghe had in her eyes before the race. She took the name of Sri Lanka to a greater height. Sanath Jayasuriya and Tillakaratne Dilshan walked to the cricket pitch as giants even though they were competing with giants, they made those giants tremble. As SJ and TD defined themselves as giants and the giants as dwarfs.
If you allow a thorny bush to grow around the tomato plant, it will outrun the growth of the tomato plant and ultimately it will be killed.
If you take measures to uproot the thorny bush at its inception then your tomato plant will have the necessary space to grow confidently and bear fruits. Don’t you think that the challenges we face in life are somewhat similar to this circumstance? Therefore, uproot thoughts of fear and rejection whilst they are still babies. Do not allow them to grow into gigantic thoughts which can push you towards defining yourself as a dwarf.
Watering the attitude of “I can” and “I will” will develop your mental strength over fertilising your negativity of “I don’t think I can do this”.
Why not aim at the stars so that you will at least land on the roof? If you aim for the roof, you are sure to land on the ground.
I was a slave of cigarettes, drugs and sexual immorality as I thought that I cannot live without them, I thought life would be miserable without them. It is a result of experiencing only them as satisfying agents. The moment I experienced that joy from a different source I realised that the previous sources were all futile. Therefore, do not define yourself based on your past experiences based on things you have already done. Be firm and define yourself based on your passion and commitment.
As I mentioned in a previous chapter your mind needs a “thought lifting” workout to expand the mind muscles just as your “lift weights” expand your physical muscles. If we do not develop our body, mind and spirit from one level to another, we will not obtain what it requires to conquer from one level to another. What made you think that your mind does not need exercise in a context where you think only your body needs exercises.
You can definitely win life with a disabled body but not with a disabled mind. I have seen many inspirational videos of Nick Vujicic who is a painter, swimmer, skydiver and motivational speaker who was born without both his arms and legs.
I have never seen a mentally ill person doing all that even though they possess a healthy physique.
It is important to develop your mind with the utmost attention. Unfortunately, many people pay attention to everything else other than their mind, which is the most powerful element in a human.
Many people have corrupted and corroded minds with no ability to bear fruits.
Those are the minds that define themselves as dwarfs and allow their problems to become giants. As a practice, I talk to my problems and challenge them out loud verbally stating that I am going to overcome them victoriously.
There is enormous power in your words. That is why it is said that a curse may land or return to the sender based on the suitability of the receiver. Define yourself as a winner.
Do not allow challenges to take control over you, you should rather take control over the challenges.
When you constantly practice it for the same problem, then one fine day that problem will become powerless and it will flee away from you.
Never address your children as a fool, mad fellow, folly, stubborn, selfish or any other negative definition because every time you call them as such you are defining or labelling them with weak personality traits. Communicating in such a manner over a period of time forces their minds to accept those definitions and define themselves accordingly.
Therefore, proclaim and plant seeds of victory within them instead of sowing seeds of defeat. A child’s mind is very fresh hence whatever you sow may get planted rapidly than it is planted in corrupted soil. For comments: voice – 0779 526 496 / e-mail: philipnehri@chandanalepa.lk