There’s a quote by Ean Nightingale that I absolutely love. It says
“we become what we think about, our minds are the steering mechanisms of our lives”
and I totally agree. I learnt at a very young age just how important mindset is. We talk about this mindset thing so much that it almost sounds cliche but the reality is that what you think about yourself and your abilities can and often plays a huge role in how you present yourself to your world and ultimately how your life turns out.
In my personal life, I have seen time and time again that my ability to achieve success on the outside is directly proportional to the way I think of success on the inside.
I remember vividly the day I auditioned for the Miss Nigeria pageant in 2017 in Port Harcourt Nigeria, There was a bevvy of very beautiful ladies, all vying for an opportunity to be selected. Every one of us had worked hard on interview techniques and presentation. Our appearances were delectable, we all had glowing skin and beautiful figures but amid the teeming crowd, I could almost guess those who would be selected. Their demeanor was different, their comportment and aura radiated confidence and a sense of assuredness. It showed in their conversations and they believed in their ability to be Miss Nigeria.
They were certain they belonged in that space, and even though some were nervous (as expected), their enthusiasm, positivity, and self-belief shone through, and it was admirable. I recall telling some of the girls, “If I were a judge, I’d pick you.” Interestingly all of us that had that positive, can-do mindset were selected. The judges could almost feel our pulses and heartbeats when we walked into the hall. For those of us who made the cut, our audition experience was different.
It showed in the way the faces of the judges lit up when we answered questions and how they engaged us. I personally felt very much at ease during the entire process and I even had judges sing me a happy birthday song and take selfies because it was my birthday week.
Eventually, hundreds of girls were screened down to 36, who finally went on to contest for the coveted title.
Surprisingly, many girls who appeared so glitzy and glamorous were not selected.
During conversations backstage, some of them had been so unsure of themselves; some were already critiquing their catwalk all by themselves, and they were not sure they could answer what the judges would ask them. You could almost tell they would not make it because they seemed to ooze negativity.
On the other hand, the rest of us were buzzing with excitement, steadily gassing ourselves up and rehearsing how we would blow the minds of the judges when we walked in.
While we all worked hard and made the decision to pick up the interest form, those of us that eventually got selected had something in common.
We all had the RIGHT MINDSET, and believed we could achieve our goal to be on that stage. I personally went on to become a finalist and emerged the most cerebral contestant and was crowned Miss Emerald.
Why did I share this story?
I need you to understand that you cannot transform your life unless you transform your belief system. It doesn’t matter the fancy clothes you wear or the glamorous exterior you portray, if you are poor in your mind and lack confidence in your abilities people will always see beneath the facade.
Walter D winter said
“You’ve got to think high to rise, you’ve got to be sure of yourself before you can win a prize”.
Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger or faster man; the man who wins is the man who thinks he can.
You cannot be thinking negative thoughts and expect to win, you cannot be thinking you are ugly and fat and expect people to see you as beautiful. No! That negativity will ooze out of your pores and people will see it.
You better be careful because your thoughts will soon create your reality.
I understand that from time to time everyone has negative thoughts but you have to shut it down immediately it rears its ugly head. Deliberately replace negative thoughts with positive, empowering ones. Believe in your God-given abilities and mentally rehearse the success you desire and trust me you will always win in life.
That’s the secret of some of us.
Your life flows in the direction of your mindset, your thought patterns will eventually reflect in the manner and quality of your life.
You can’t be better than how you think. It really is that simple.
So feed your mind with the right information, surround yourself with positive people, read good books, listen to positive podcasts and always pay attention to your internal dialogue because you can’t win when you are constantly tearing yourself apart from the inside •