Month: October 2013
Developing a winning mind
This week I would like to share an extract my book which is about to be publish by Author House. The Book has been edited by Mr. Charles Chisala Zambian Daily mail Editorial Editor.
Many are the times that many of us have been told that life was not easy. Our parents, elder brothers and society at large have told us that life has never been that easy. So, to succeed one needs to be courageous enough to take up the challenge and pursue the great highway of living. Society has made us understand that for any meaningful development or progress to take place in our lives we need to work hard. We need to work hard so that we can achieve our personal goals. There are lots of steps a person should take to achieve their goals.
I remember how when I was growing up my mother could consistently tell me to look up to my future. She told me that my future was the most important destiny in my life, that everything else was secondary. She said God was first, parents second and I third.
My mother’s words were the pillars of my future; her voice used to ring loud and clear in my mind. By following what she told me I used to ensure that I did everything right. Her words were, therefore, the pillar of my life. This is why as person it is important that you develop yourself as a winner.
As an individual it is very important to look at yourself as a winner. A positive mental attitude is an absolutely indispensable prerequisite for success. Your attitude determines how well you do and how far you go in life.
It is very difficult to succeed in anything if you consider yourself as a failure. Looking at Jesus Christ you will be able to understand how having the attitude of a winner rewards. One time, after emerging out of 40 days and 40 nights of fasting, He was tempted by the devil. But due to his positive attitude he focused on the reward from God. Jesus resisted the devil and remained focused. The devil tried hard to thwart Jesus’ mission on earth, but the Saviour remained steadfast and looked to God for a reward.
One thing I have come to learn is that life is about winning. People who have focused their energy on winning have ended up as heroes. Sportsmen and women have become heroes and heroines overnight because they have won something significant. The young man David became a hero among the Israelites after winning the battle with the giant Goliath.
Developing a positive mental attitude requires mental fitness. Like physical fitness it requires effort to achieve, but once you’ve achieved it, mental fitness makes you capable of achieving and doing things that will give you success and happiness.
One of the ways to achieve mental fitness is changing the way you look at problems. Problems are consistent and constant for all of us. They are like waves, large and small, that keep coming our way every day. The way you look at your problems and respond to them will in large part determine your attitude.
Napoleon Hill, author of the classic book Think and Grow Rich, said that within every setback or difficulty lies the seed of an equal or greater benefit or advantage. This may seem hard to comprehend, but your biggest difficulties are sent to you as gifts to teach you valuable lessons. Looking for the valuable lesson in every difficulty forces you to dig deeply into your mental resources and creatively find a solution to the problem.
You need to confront each problem you face as an opportunity to learn from. You need to learn to look for the good or the valuable lesson in every difficulty you face because if you’re constantly looking for the good in every difficulty you cannot be thinking about something bad or negative at the same time.
If you are looking for and thinking about the good or valuable lesson in every difficulty your mind becomes alive. You are filled with possibilities and creativity about how to solve the problem. When you allow yourself to become negative, anxious and worried your mind becomes more pessimistic. You go into a survival mode and your ability to be positive and think creatively diminishes greatly.
There is no achievement in life that comes by luck. All achievements come by planning; what you get today was probably planned yesterday. Looking ahead is the wisest thing you can do. Future thinking is another powerful technique that will help you to build a positive mental attitude. You need to give all of your thinking to the future because the past is gone. You cannot change the past. It does you no good to worry about things that have already happened and cannot be changed. Needless feelings of remorse and regret will do more to undermine a positive mental attitude than any other external factor.
It’s important to think about your future and the goals you want to achieve. The future is naturally positive and uplifting. If you want to develop a positive mental attitude you have to let go of the past and focus on the future and the things you want.
So go on to be the champion.
Africans should be content with Africa
The reggaeman Bob Marley sung a song buffalo soldier which explained the struggle of an African in American wars. His song is always thrilling among the followers of reggae music.
The song is sung as follows; Buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta:It was a buffalo soldier in the heart of America,stolen from Africa, brought to America: Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival. I mean it, when I analyse the stench, to me it make a lot of sense. How did dreadlock rasta was buffalo soldier?And he was taken from Africa, brought to America. Fighting on arrival, fighting for survival. Say it was a buffalo soldier, dreadlock rasta. Buffalo soldier, in the heart of America. If you know your history, Then you would know where you coming from, Then you wouldn’t have to ask me, Whom the heck do you think I am.Im just a buffalo soldier in the heart of America, Stolen from Africa, brought to America, Said he was fighting on arrival, fighting for survival; Said he was a buffalo soldier win the war for America…..the song continues…
The lyrics in the buffalo soldier song aggravate my feelings when I seen many Africans rush to go to Europe in search of survival and better life. Some Africans think life is only in Europe and America. They also think things can only be done in Europe and not in their homelands. This is why many of the African are in a hurry to find ways of how they can get to Europe. In search of better life, a number of Africans have used different methods to get to Europe. Some have used illegal methods to enter the western world while others have used the legal method.
The recent disaster on the Island Lampedusa has left many African families with tears. A number of families are mourning their beloved ones that died in the indecent. The media reported that more than 200 people died in the tragedy. The fishing ship that was smuggling 500 African migrants to Europe sank near the coast of the Italian island Lampedusa.
The York Times reported that a ship filled with migrants apparently trying to reach Europe capsized in the Mediterranean Sea about 100 nautical miles southwest of the island nation of Malta, sending rescue boats and helicopters racing to the scene. The accident occurred about 60 nautical miles south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, in waters that fall under Malta’s jurisdiction. The area is regularly plied by smugglers bearing migrants from Africa economic opportunity in Europe. Most of the people that perished were trapped 50m under the water, trapped in the sunken fishing boat.
Stories like the disaster in the Mediterranean sea continue to leave the world with tears. But the big question among many Africans has been why is it that people were ready to die just for them to reach Europe despite many stories and cautions from relevant authorities. Many media have run documentaries aimed at explaining the life of Immigrants in Europe and America. Authorities have also explained to local citizen why it was necessary for their own citizens to remain where they are. A Nigerian Pastor TB Joshua recently had to negotiate for the release of his fellow countrymen who were imprisoned in Libya. My sister who had stayed in USA also explained to me that living in USA for many Africans was not as it was reported. She explained me that some people need to have many jobs for them just to survival.
With all these stories being reported African immigrants need to begin evaluating their choices. They need to start exploring their options on how they should manage their lives. For instance, is it worth to sacrifice to go to USA just to become a cleaner and sleep on the street of York just because I want to be in Europe or USA? Or is it worth it to withstand the cold of the ocean just because I want to go to Europe.
History has it that Africa forefathers fought against slavery and imperialism. So there is no need for their off springs to start reversing their forefathers’ efforts. Africans should know that the African continent is the continent of the future and individuals that are going to remain on the African continent would be better than those that would be away from it. Africans should also understand that their lives begins and end in Africa. When they go to Europe, China, USA they will always be referred as illegal immigrants or even subjected to a lot challenges. Many western countries are busy changing immigration laws in order to strength internal security. So many Africans who have nothing to do in these countries will be always be the victims of such laws.
Moreover, many of the richest people in the world today draw much of their riches from Africa. It is also true that many of the countries in the Western Europe including USA are rich because of Africa. Besides many of the African Immigrants when returning to Africa they have nothing to show off.
Therefore, Africans should be now divert their energy and concentrate on developing Africa rather than thinking on they will sneak into Europe. African leaders should also develop policies that would ensure that their citizens remain glued to their homeland.
KELVIN ESIASA 
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