There is need to explain that poverty is a state of the mind and not the absence of money. It has been proved also beyond reasonable doubt that fear cripples intelligence and of course fear also exist in man because of the state of mind. I know of a celebrated motivational speaker today, who fumbled the first time he mounted a stage all because of the fear of crowd; after the event he was asked the reason for such an unimpressive performance, he simply explained “I thought the crowd did not like my face and they wanted me to leave.” This is nothing but a state of the mind, which he himself later confessed.
I also once watched a young and brilliant chap on the programme Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. He was three correct answers away from ten million Naira; he was supposed to pick a correct answer as expected. The young chap knew the correct answer, but fear and nervousness corrupted his mind and so, he decided to walk away. After the programme, as usual, he was asked the answer he intended to choose, and expectedly he choose the correct answer. What do you think led to his great loss? Also, it is also a state of the mind that all makes most people lose belief in themselves, thus deciding to go for the less. Some people could even be so scared of becoming a success.
A friend of mine once told me with great displeasure that if we would allow every Nigerian citizen to move to the United State of America and also allow every American citizen to move to Nigeria, he explained with great confidence that in five years Nigeria would be a great country. Of course, I was surprised by his conviction and so I asked him why he believed that to be so. He simply explained that Nigeria is poor, not because we don’t have what it takes to be rich but because the state of the Nigerian mind of an individual is programmed to be negative… All negative! What then is the product of negatives? Of course NEGATIVE. My friend later went ahead to itemize, categorize and explain how rich and blessed Nigeria is compared to most European countries. In other words, we can always trace the roots of our problems and behavior to the thought that dominate our minds. Let’s always remember that it’s only by taking control of our minds that we take control of our lives and destiny.
Here is a story to show how dangerous and powerful a negative state of the mind could be. Little Seyi is six years old. For three terms, she came third in her class. On the last occasion, her father was very crossed with her. So, he tried talking to her to really know why she kept coming third instead of first. To her father’s greatest surprise she said “Dad, in my class, we have a class captain and as the class captain, it’s his responsibility to always take first.” Her father was shocked; how the negative state of mind could also catch up with a young child! So, do you know what Seyi’s dad did for little Seyi? He spoke to her and made her understand that she was born the best and second to known. He also made her understand that because her class captain occupies that position gives him no right to beat you to the third position. He told her that if you would study harder and change that state of mind, she will become first. Expectedly but surprisingly little seyi came first, beating her class captain to the second position.
Dear readers, this is how wonderful the state of mind could be; it could push you to great success or to great failure. Remember the mind is never idle; it’s either building or breaking down. Just like a garden, it can be beautifully and deliberately planned to produce good fruits. On the other hand, it could also be allowed to grow wild.
The choice is yours!
We allow our mind to grow wild when we occupy it and make it feed on thoughts of:
1. Failure
2. Rejection
3. Self-pity
4. Poverty
5. Worry
6. Guilt of the past
7. Sickness
We can also discipline and program our minds to focus and feed on thoughts of:
1. Victory
2. Purity/chasteness
3. Greatness
4. Good health and sound mind
5. Success
6. Excellence and significance.
Lawal Efosa
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