Where Success Begins

Motivation Monday: Where Success Begins

Sometimes the way forward is backwards. Sometimes we have to go back to go forward. There are things we may have left behind that we'll need going forward and no matter how much ground we are covering, we would have to go back to pick up what we left behind to make a meaning. It may be an information, it may be a skill, a relationship, a certification, an experience or whatever that may be. No matter how successful we have become, there are things we may need to go back in time to get in order to make that success worthwhile at the end.

We may have conquered many worlds and we may be ruling at many fronts but if we are yet to conquer self, we are yet to start the process of success.

Anyone who has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down and without walls said King Solomon. Such is like a city with its security apparatus grounded and has become susceptible to alien invasion and at the mercy of opposing forces.

Photo Credit: Skeeze/Pixabay 

Self control is the greatest virtue a life can cultivate. You can't arrive at self control until you have conquered self. You can't control what you are yet to conquer. And whatever is valuable enough to be conquered is surely on the radar of other potential conquerors, it may even already be under the control of another for the pleasure or service of the conqueror. 

What it means is that when you are not in control of your self, something or someone else is in control and such can make you do things you never thought you could do. 

Look around you, you'll notice that everything around you is trying to dictate and control what you do and so dictate who you are and so redefine you. You can only handle them, not by fighting them or struggling with them but by conquering self and controlling it. 

The first thing to conquer and take back from whoever is in charge are your thoughts. All sorts of things try to gain the attention of our thought system. Because whoever controls your thinking also controls your perspective to life and as you think so are you. 

That's why God's wisdom tells us to guard our minds with all diligence because issues of life flow from there. A man is defined by what is loaded in his heart so said Jesus Christ. Be careful what you load into your heart, if the tree is made good, the fruit will automatically be good. Don't let evil and negativity fill your heart to make you bring forth evil fruits. Conquer and control your thoughts! 

Conquer and control your appetites. Our aspirations shouldn't control us, we should control our aspirations. Honour, dignity, respect, love, goodness, grace and mercy are more valuable than any level of life's achievement. If you gain the whole world and lose these, you may die heartbroken with life having no meaning and full of regrets. Check your aspirations and appetite for material things, for sex, for food and drinks, for positions and for accolades, if you don't conquer to control these appetites, they have the capacity to drive a person into insanity, depression, untimely death and destruction. They can sting to the point of losing the very desire for life... Conquer and control your appetites, otherwise you'll be conquered by it and brought under the control of ruthless life's slave masters. 

Conquer and control your emotions. Feelings of affection, feelings of frustration, feelings of anger, feelings of disappointment, feelings of joy and of sorrow may all look involuntary but that's because we are yet to conquer them to be able to control them. 

We should not be happy or sad uncontrollably. Our desire to always be happy may be used as bait and bit to control us. Evil people can make us happy enough to trap us and make us grieve and sorrow enough to take more valuable things from us if we let go the control of our joys and sorrow. No trap is set for a would be victim using baits of what the victim dislikes. 

So many people have been put in bondage by the three most powerful words, "I Love You". We need affection and affirmation but we should control our desire for affections and affirmations. Not everyone who says 'I love you' deserves to be paid attention to in return, no matter the pressure. Many are users and abusers. The pursuit of validation may lead to a deadly cul de sac and may eventually make one trade more valuable things for a moment of accolades. 

Many of us have issues controlling how we react to unpleasant situations. Unpleasant words and actions that tend to demean us and abuse us have a way of inspiring anger and evil speaking. Lack of self control shows more than in any other way in the way we talk and show anger. We can therefore be controlled by others just because we cannot defer anger and control our tongues. We become like robotics, people already know what they need to say or do to get us raging or talking, they therefore control us as puppeteers control puppets to the entertainment of people and of themselves... Conquer and be in control of your temperament and talkativeness. 

Many have issues with publicity. In these days of social media we tend to live our lives on the streets of life, on social media. We seek publicity and so we show off. If one gets addicted to the lure of publicity, such makes life vulnerable to evil people lurking in the dark corners of social media. Be careful of that attention seeking self of yours, that desire for popularity may get you into people who have nothing but evil for your destiny. 

You have to ask yourself what exactly are those things running your life? The things concerning which you have lost your power of choice. Those things we are under compulsion to do. These things make us weak. 

No matter how great we have become, and how many people we have influence over, if there are still some areas where 'little' things still control us, then we make our lives and the lives of those we have influence over vulnerable. 

It's time we took charge of our lives and be in control of our successes and not our successes being in control of our lives. Deliberately refuse to satisfy some desires you have the power to satisfy. Deliberately fast some things that are within your reach, break the compulsion, take charge of your body, don't be body ruled, what great joy of victory it brings! 

Good morning and have a great week ahead. Be in charge, rule your world! That is where success begins and that's where it ends, so that all that is in between can have real meaning!