It’s almost the end of the year and I couldn’t help but create this list of lies I truly believe as people we tell ourselves on a regular basis. It’s crazy enough we believe these lies but we repeat them and recruit others in the process to believe in them too. Not because we are evil people but because we allow any and everything to be a part of our lives and control our mindset. We have grown to be comfortable in things that don’t do us any favors . Here we go:
1. People don’t want to see how the sausage is made but want to eat it.
Success is still one of those conversations that haunt us at dinner tables, in bed with bae or husbabe occasionally we chat about it or we plan towards it right? It is flushed in our faces online as well as in books by those who claim to know all about it. Strangely enough no matter how many books you read , no matter how many seminars you attend and how much motivation you get there is a possibility you are one of those people who will always enjoy the sausage but never truly learn how to make it or even proceed to own a sausage company. In other words the truth still remains success is not for everyone.
By that I mean some people are all just talk and no action at all. Success is just one of those things many dream about but lack the discipline, the tenacity, the faith and the mindset to make it work. That’s all. The sooner we are honest about it we will stop setting up people for failure by saying ‘find your calling and you will be successful”. There is more to it than that and any successful person will tell you that. Success is one of those things like love, you will envy it from outside, hear about it read about it or almost experience until the day you decide to put on some gloves and get your hands and feet messy. This is not just a once of experience, it is based on continuity, meaning you have to apply your mind, your skills, your network and all you know over and over and over again in the same field or different fields to truly be a success, and that is something very few can do.
2. I can’t save. Not in this economy
I have been telling myself this lie for years. I am as guilty as charged too. It was even worse between the ages of 22 and 29 years of age. It’s really bad. When I do manage to save something always comes up and sweeps out that money from my account or we lie and say we don’t make enough to save. Guess what is funny we do have enough to go out and turn up, we do have enough to randomnly buy a pair of sneakers we haven’t earned to buy. We have enough to do our hair, celebrate birthdays for ourselves or the ones we love.
When it comes to spending on the other hand, we do it well on unnecessary things in our lives , we even get defensive and don’t want to hear the hard cold truth which is that we lack discipline as well as foresight to see how far off we could be if we learnt to save even R100 a month. In the same economy, the same country, the same continent and sometimes even in harsher conditions they are many success stories of saving and investing around us. If you get tired and are keen to learn how to do it so your 2019 is better and you are more financially savvy you can go online and view financial budgeting or saving on a zero budget. You will do anything for your circumstances to change.
3. New Year’s Resolutions don’t work
They definitely don’t, right?. No. You are lazy. Let’s just put it out there. At the beginning of the year we set out this uber awesome list of things we know we can achieve. Whether you write it down or nor generally most people have something they aspire to achieve. That is goal. Our ability to achieve anything we want is unquestionable so if we can go to the moon, create cars that are environmentally friendly, create robots and all what can we not do as humans? Our potential is limitless even the Bible says ” you can do all things through Jesus Christ who is your strength”. Even God wants you to excel and be great at anything your heart desires but what truly stops us
Oh well, let’s see:
- We are lazy
- We like to procrastinate
- We wait so long to get approval before we do anything significant
- We love excuses. They are the warmest blanket to cover our laziness.They are like the manure to our bed of lies that we keep watering everyday.
- We lack self confidence in ourselves
- We fear failure
- We are too comfortable more than we know and see
Should I go on? At some point it’s gotta suck or get tiring just being mediocre or just getting by and just doing the same things over and over again and not reaching those goals that will truly elevate you as a person.
4. I still have time
No you don’t. Depending on your spiritual beliefs generally as people we know and agree that time is actually something very very short and not guaranteed to us. This is a lie people are told or believe in every day , so what happens?. They decrease their pace to achieve anything and honestly trust that they have forever. They don’t. I bet you for record winning tennis player Serena Williams to be as successful as she is today she had to use all the time she had to focus on tennis. She was not an overnight success. She worked hard for what she had. Believing that you have all the time in the world makes you lazy and will soon turn you in a vegetable bed.
Successful people use all the time in the world on their gifts. Taking a break is good and by all means please do because the mind needs to rest and so does the body. I definitely endorse this but please don’t sit there and not go after your dreams and tell yourself you have time. You don’t. What you have is TODAY. As a parent don’t wait for your children to grow up so you can chat to them about life and their purpose in it. Don’t wait for time and believe they will grow and wait to hear that advice. What if something happens to you and God forbid but what if somethings happens to your child? Then what? Have the hard conversations now and prepare yourself as well as those you love for the days when you are no longer there.
Do everything you love. Be it in the evening when you have time. Be it on weekends or during leave just do what you can and check off that list. To live is to be present and experience life to its fullest. We don’t live when we put things on hold for another day. When is that day? Do you know?
5.Be happy with what you have
Being grateful for all that God has blessed you with is great. Is there anything wrong with not being happy with what you have and wanting more? Absolutely not. Let me share why. Let’s say you have a Diploma in Fashion but want a Masters Degree in Fashion. You probably are grateful that you have that education and qualification which is perfect but you also want to stretch yourself , your skill set and acquire more knowledge and perhaps increase your circle of network. These desires are normal and shouldn’t be discouraged and confused with being ungrateful.
Mediocre people will always find an excuse to stay in that “OKAY LANE” . They are okay with little and call it being content. Trust me there is no joy that comes from having little or achieving little. In fact once you prove to yourself that you can drive, you will want a car, once you know you are good at writing, you will somehow publish a book, once you know you can cook you have the potential to birth a cookbook or start catering full time. One achievement gives birth to another and another. Growth is a human thing. Don’t be lied to. When we don’t grow we become comfortable and sometimes we may resent those around us who are going after their dreams. That alone is not healthy too.
What is important is to trust yourself and not seek approval and validation or affirmation from others. Separate yourself and be bold enough to trust yourself and pursue that which grows you.
Glamour and Inspiration 