Encouraging words when going through the storm of life 2

In the words of Pastor Joel Osteen, "Discover the champion in you." Read and be encouarged in Jesus name, amen!

If someone were to ask you to describe yourself in two words, what would you say about yourself?

Has it ever occurred to you that rarely do people admit their flaws or their weaknesses openly? We cringe when people criticize us, even if done constructively. Inwardly we suppress feelings of anger towards the person and question why they had the nerve to question our ability or intellect.

When was the last time you did an audit about yourself? And if you haven’t, would you be happy to ask all your friends to complete a questionnaire about you? If not, why not? Are you afraid of what they might write or say about you if they were to be honest?Deep beneath the veneer of laughs that you enjoy with people close to you, would you say they would speak positively about you? Would they state that you are a person they truly hold in high esteem in terms of your character, dignity and how you relate generally to people? Or to be brutally frank, would they label you a loser? If you saw your character in another person, would you like what you saw?Do you really know what you are really capable of doing despite what others think about you? The fact of the matter is that only you can answer that question.

It doesn't matter what people say about you. But what you do or don’t do is a choice. If you need to grow and move out of your comfort zone, no one is going to do that for you. You may read or listen to all the motivation messages by many motivational speakers, if you are not ready to change, no one will force you to.If you wish to settle for less, that’s a choice you have chosen. If you are content with what you have achieved, that’s also a choice you have chosen. As Thomas Edison said, “If we all did the things we are capable of, we would astound ourselves”.

But before you come to that realization, you need to re-discover yourself before you can re-brand yourself. Sadly, some people go through the motions of life - they merely exist. They are dead men walking. They endure life instead of enjoying life. They have lost all hope. Their reasoning is impaired and devoid of motivation. Others who once had promising careers have lost their jobs and their homes in the global crisis and as a result, some of them have even committed suicide. Life has dealt them a deadly blow and they have decided to stay down instead of getting up. They have chosen instead to settle for a life of mediocrity.

So what if you seem to be going through a crisis? So what if you have lost your home or job? So what if you have lost lots of money in this global crisis? So what if your mates whom you went to school with are now successful? Let it be borne in mind that finding your purpose in life is not about who is the strongest, fastest or brilliant. It is about how you fully maximize your God given potential during your life time. Some of the people you consider as rich may be miserable. Some of them may be successful in business but they make a lousy husband or wife and as such thrive in a dysfunctional family. And to cap it call, some of them may be stinkingly rich, but can't seem to enjoy their wealth due to a debilitating disease which is incurable.

However if you knew yourself, you would realize that if you are going through a crisis, it is only temporary. That is why the operative word in that first sentence is "going through". It does not mean you are going to be stationary in your crisis for life. So what if your so called friends are laughing behind your back? So what if they now look down on you with disdain because you no longer fit into their mix? To use the colloquial phrase, they are “happening” because they have “arrived” and are operating at “another level”.

But look at yourself sternly in the mirror and ask yourself. Do I know who I really am? Do you merely admire your looks in the mirror or do you reprimand the person you see? Do you believe you could have achieved better? Do you wallow in self pity?Do you have to accept what people say about you? If they are wrong and you honestly think so, that is water off a ducks back - move on. Are you going to let someone kill your dream because of what they said? Are you going to let life's circumstances hold you back and imprison you? Don’t let people’s words affect your mood, hold you captive or cloud your sense of purpose in life. For when your glory manifests, not many people will remember your story.In the same vein, if they are right, what are you going to do about it? Are you strong enough to withstand the tide and change for the better? If you need to birth your dream, now is the time.

The phrase “later” or “when the time is right” is called procrastination. God has deposited a lot inside of you. Cash in on it and don’t bury your talents or let them die prematurely. Always remember that you are unstoppable so begin now to unleash them. Tell fear to take a hike, kick procratination to the kerb, strangle doubt, knock depression out, drop the heavy burden of low self esteem and lift up high self esteem. Seek wisdom where it has been lurking and embrace it for it will direct your path. Befriend good health, don't run from love, greet mercy and favour her friend will follow you; entertain prosperity and he'll push away and poverty when it comes near you.Now, ask yourself one more time. Do I really know myself? If you do, go out there and do your thing.

In passing, let me end by quoting Peter Drucker, he said “the best way to predict the future is to create it”.Proclaim to yourself that you are already a success. For as a man thinks, so is he. You may be on your knees now, but by the time you stand, you will be outstanding. If you are pursuing success at the moment, when you achieve your dream, you will end up being driven by success.Change your thoughts to positive ones for when you do that you begin to project a different mindset. A paradigm shift will be forced to take place as something inside of you will be bursting to come forth in the form of your dream.Start sowing the seeds for your success today. No one can stop you. To your success, Tunde Adeleye