I recently realised something: all along, I’ve been the barrier to my own success. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know this is my worst nightmare. I would rather do an “I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!” Bush Tucker Trial than stop the train toward my progression. It’s funny because, in my mind, failing has always been this extreme experience, such as not taking a promotion because it moved me somewhere far away from my community. Or refusing to learn something I knew would take me to the next plateau because I didn’t think I was good enough to achieve it. But I’ve found that it lies in something much more incremental: my thoughts.
The Power of Belief & Consistency of Thoughts
I’m learning that there’s a relationship between the consistency of my thoughts and my internal belief systems. If I believe that something is unable to catapult me toward my idea of success, it has to go. As much as I’m proud of my go-getter spirit, it often makes me wonder if some of what we call hobbies could be extreme money-making talents we didn’t see value in.
Being a child growing up in inner-city London, where an idle mind is a slave to the streets, I spent a lot of my free time in activities. I did gymnastics, dance, drama, creative writing—the list is endless. However, over time, I stopped doing them. If it wasn’t to focus on education, it was because they were considered things to do to occupy time and wouldn’t give me the life outcome I needed to be the high-flying success I was ordained to be. When I think back to that, it’s nonsense because I had no clue where I would end up. So, making any hard decisions about what would benefit or deter me from that dream had very little basis.
My partner always says, “To achieve something, you have to be crazy about your craft,” and honestly, I brushed that off for a while due to it being social media meme’d out to capacity. But also because, when you look deeper into the quote, it means more than what meets the eye. Not only do you have to have intense devotion, but unshakeable dedication to whatever you want to achieve. Hence why you will probably need every tool in the toolbox to make it happen.
Battling The Negative Narratives of Thoughts
One of the statements that stuck to my prefrontal cortex when I thought about this post was from a church sermon I was listening to years ago. The pastor ferociously repeated a sentence: “When the devil wants to attack, he doesn’t go after the thing you are hoping for; he wants to enter your mind.” Now, despite not dubbing myself as a Christian, I am 100% a spiritual person. And when I reflect deeply about the many reasons I gave up that hobby or interest, it was because a seed of doubt was planted, sprouting a beanstalk-worthy tree full of negative narratives that swam around in my brain when it got quiet.
As much as B. Simone isn’t the world’s favorite example of success, I was enamored by her 1 million dollar challenge, pushing herself to make 1 million dollars by her 30th birthday. It’s not only the fact that she reached her goal that inspires me, but the how. B. leaned on every one of her skills, down to doing hair, which she did before she became a comedian who toured with heavyweights like Martin Lawrence and Nick Cannon, to make that money. Not only did she believe in herself, but she valued every one of her skills’ ability to help her achieve her goal.
Reclaiming Your Dreams & Mindset
What I am trying to say is, society is not the only source of killing our dreams; sometimes we do that all by ourselves. To combat this, we need to take control of our thoughts. Dreaming is often seen as a negative thing that keeps us away from the realities of life. I now understand dreaming is one of those things that keeps you alive and open to the wider possibilities the world offers. The hardships of the Western world often make us forget that there is more to the world than a 9-to-5. Therefore, join me in training our minds into believing that, no matter what, it will all work out. I have no idea what I am doing, but at least ya’ll know your not the only one searching for a paddle.
