Dear Destiny Friend,

Our mind is one of the most powerful forces we have, but sometimes, we don’t seem to pay adequate attention to it. Our mind is as powerful as our health. Lao Tzu was right when he said, “watch your thoughts, they become your words, watch your words, they become your action, watch your actions, they become your character, and watch your character, they become your destiny”. The success and failure of anything starts with the mind. Our mind is so powerful that it can literally see possibility in impossibility.

It is instructive to note that we are what we consume. If you take fatty goods, you can’t expect to be slim unless your genes make you slim. You can’t spend more time watching television, attending social events like parties and generally expect to gain more knowledge, insight, and wisdom like someone who invests a substantial amount of time reading.

Before you can transform your mind, you must be intentional and deliberate. Being intentional and deliberate entails knowing what works for you and what doesn’t work for you. Transformation doesn’t occur overnight; it takes time and it’s definitely a process. For instance, for a marriage to work, the two parties must commit to making it work, marriage won’t just work because they are good people, no, they must put in the work, and in most cases, it takes time.

As enterprising human beings, we all have that one bad habit we wish to stop. You may be a procrastinator; you may be a smoker; you may be extravagant with money, have a flair for material things, or even be a womanizer, and you want to have a change of lifestyle; the first step is to begin to work on your mind. You need to change your thought and your perspectives to what you hear, what you pay attention to, what your watch, who you follow and most importantly, you need to be honest with the change you want to see in your life. According to Mahatma Gandhi, “you must be the change you want to see in the world”.

To bring change to your life, you have to think out of the box. For instance, while you may think money will solve all the problems in your life, wisdom will make you understand that you may have money and still be unhappy. This is because money alone doesn’t guarantee fulfillment in life, neither does it give joy and peace of mind. You can have a royal friend, but it is better to have a loyal friend who will be with you in moments of difficulty; you might desire to have a gorgeous wife, but then a loving and respectful wife is priceless; a healthy life is much better and desirable to a wealthy life.

In transforming your mind, you have to ask yourself what you want. Many people lose opportunities due to poverty mentality. There was a story of young applicants who applied to a reputable company for a job. On the day of the interview, the chief executive officer of the company asks them a stunning question after the interview. Would you like to take a selfie with me and not get the job or would you want to get the job and don’t have any opportunity of taking a picture with me?

The applicants were confused about what to say because the man in question was a highly celebrated man in society because of his exploits and the success he has attained in society. The candidates who weren’t passionate about the job decided to take the picture at the risk of not getting a callback, while those who felt they value the company and value the opportunity more than a picture with the C.E.O  took the risk of not taking the picture. What’s the issue here? The issue is what do they want? What matters to them? What are their values?  And most importantly, what transformation do they want to see in their life?

How can you transform your mind?

Recognize negative thoughts

We all have those negative thoughts that come to us as human beings. Each time a negative thought enters your mind, take a deep breath and ask yourself, does this thought help me in any way? Does it make me happy, or does it steal my peace? If no, try and kill it before it germinates.

Reject negative thoughts.

Once you are aware of negative thoughts in your mind, combat them immediately by focusing on something positive. You can use words of affirmation to either reject or attractive words in your life.

Replace negative thoughts

As human beings, it is always normal to feel down when we experience a setback or disappointment, but as a positive mind, it’s imperative to see what we can learn from each experience. For instance, if someone hurts our feelings, we can forgive and refuse to let it fester in our thoughts and steal our confidence. If someone insults us, we can focus on our positive attributes and remember that what God’s Word says about us is the most important.

I will conclude by asking; what change do you want in your life or would like to see in your life, and what effort are you making to transform your mind to see that change?

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He’s a mindset coach and public speaker. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the author of the acclaimed book Design Your Destiny – Actualizing Your Birthright To Success and President of gloemi.com. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com