AS a young person, I thought I needed to do particular courses at university to have all the money I needed.
However, as I grew, I realised that every human being has their own special wiring and intelligences.
I had to accept that there are things I should not do.
I needed to accept my personal abilities.
We have to accept that we can’t do everything, but we can do specific things and still win.
What can you control?
We need to understand what’s within our control.
There are a number of things which are in your power to control.
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These include, but are not limited to:
- Your actions
- Your thoughts
- Your words
- How you spend your time
- What you focus your energy on
- How you respond to and handle challenges
- The goals you set
- What you give your energy to
What you do with these things, and how you seek to improve them, will determine your success in life.
There are things that affect our lives that we worry ourselves over, but we have no power over them.
You can’t control other people’s actions, the past, the opinions of others, what happens around you or what people think of you and that liberates you in so many ways.
However, if you are always thinking about what other people are thinking about you, you might make decisions based on wanting to please them and that makes it hard to truly control your personal life.
Accept your mistakes
We are human and fallible.
My favourite author, American author, speaker and pastor John C Maxwell, says, “A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them and strong enough to correct them.”
We need to admit that we are wrong and we make mistakes.
We become masters through mistakes. We are polished through pain.
Make peace with your past
When I look into my past, I always wish there was a better life. I wish I had access to better schools.
Personally, there are things I regret having done.
I wish I read my books more so that I could have had better grades.
Some might wish they did more for their late parents.
Others wish they made better choices.
A five-minute action took over 15 years to recover from. Such is life.
What’s that thing you regret doing, or wish you had acted upon in time? You can’t change the past. Make peace with your past.
You don’t need to be perfect
We are bombarded by polished images of success from every angle.
When you think about it, it might seem as though you have been left behind.
The world seems to want us to be perfect.
Even our loved ones want us to be perfect.
When you sit at that table to eat, you might blame yourself for dropping crumbs.
For me, I have never been perfect, but I have been progressive.
Don’t beat yourself up for your imperfections.
In fact, creativity is found in imperfect trails.
Non-linear thinking does not breed perfection. Disruptive leadership has never been polished.
Understand your emotions
We are emotional beings and we must accept that.
At times, it’s not wrong to feel angry; it reflects your reality.
However, you must control it.
Take time to understand your emotions.
When you express your feelings, you sometimes feel released.
Accept people as they are
Sometimes we want people to behave the way we do. We want others to like what we love.
We find their music not interesting at all. We find their taste not so good.
But we are different and that makes us diverse.
We need to accept other people with their differences.
We should not try to change them.
Seasons are different
Another thing we need to understand and appreciate is that there are different seasons.
The fact that someone is trending and “making it” does not mean you are not successful.
Your time is coming. It’s just not your season yet.
When things are hard, it’s a season.
Work hard and be prepared.
There’s nothing as painful as entering a season you are unprepared for, you will waste it.
The inverse is true: It is said that when preparation meets opportunity, success is inevitable.
In every choice, you have to make clear and correct strategic decisions.
Acknowledge your limitations
When you acknowledge your limitations, you are simply inviting others to come to your rescue.
When you don’t acknowledge them, you are telling people that you are strong and don’t need any help.
Remember: we can’t do everything, be everything, or know everything.
There is something that someone else knows very well; and you don’t.
Accept that you are a guru
Finally, we need to accept our being. You can be successful.
This is not reserved for a select few.
Remember what Zig Ziglar, the late American author, salesman, and motivational speaker, wrote: “Man was designed for accomplishments, engineered for success and is endowed with seeds of greatness.”
Accept that you have inbuilt powers and the world needs them.
- Jonah Nyoni is an author, speaker, and leadership trainer. Follow Jonah on Twitter @jonahnyoni. WhatsApp: +263 772 581 918
