Hello,
welcome to my blog. I hope you have enjoyed reading my previous articles, if
you haven’t, please click on the PREVIOUS hyperlink to read other articles that
come out of this crazy head of mine. Today, I want to write about being the best
you that you can be. The source for this topic comes from a quote by popular
Country Artist Blake Sheldon in the popular TV Talent show, THE VOICE.
What
does it take to be the best you that you can be? This question has been ringing
in my head each time I repeat that episode of the voice where Blake Sheldon
said these words “I just want to help you be the best you that you can be”.
There are situations where people have little to no faith in you and say that
you do not have what it takes to be like someone as great as Nat King Cole,
Bill Gates, Marlon Brando, Michael Jackson and other notable figures in world
history.
Well
I just want to say that, the people who criticize you negatively, only do so
because they are not fulfilled themselves and cannot step back and see the
bigger picture. These negative criticizers only present you with the problem
but never the solution. That can’t do attitude has been the downfall of many
people because it has kept people from daring to do what they know they are
capable of. I have been asked questions like, how can I start this or how can I
start that? I tell them that they should start from the foundation. Do you want
to be a great singer or whatever your heart desires and you know within
yourself that you have what it takes? Start with the basics.
The
first thing you should do is reset your relationships. Do you have “friends” or
family members who grew up with you and you know that these people explore your
weaknesses instead of your strengths? Please restrict your relationship with
them. It is painful but you should not tell everyone your plans; just the ones
who see what you can be. These haters want you to be at a level that they can
control because if you rise above them, they lose their edge over you. Your true
friends will show you how to do these things and will encourage you. A little
encouragement from a friend like “you can do this”, “I’ve always known what you
are capable of” or “see you on the spotlights” will go a long way to boost your
morale. One of the factors that made King David a successful king was because
of his friends. He was not perfect but he ruled Israel successfully because he
had help (1Samuel 18:3, 1Samuel 19:1-7).
Another
thing to do is to always be thankful. In my article FIRE AND ICE, I mentioned
that everyone must go through the cold hard facts of life and the fiery/harsh
realities. It is true that you don’t have money and it is also true that
despite how talented you are, no one seems to appreciate you. But here is the
truth, people do notice. There are people who notice your talents and
capabilities but they are just there waiting. Have you noticed where you start
a project and it seems no one notices then you stop and all of a sudden, you
are asked by people, “Why did you stop?” it is just their way of saying, “you
were doing such a great job, why did you give up?” if you have the chance to
serve or you are starting the project and no one recognizes you, you should be
thankful because you can find new ways to make yourself better at what you do.
You may be a talented but if you give in to frustration, you will blame the
world for your misfortunes but remember the world owes you nothing; you owe it
to yourself to make yourself better. Use this “unappreciative” period to
upgrade yourself. So you see, this unappreciative period is a blessing in
disguise. If you don’t believe me, check out the David; he was a shepherd boy
who used a sling to kill a lion and a bear. He gave his résumé to King Saul
with that experience; he used that same sling to kill Goliath (1 Samuel
17:19-51) I know this is a very long scripture, but it captures what I’ve been
try to express in this paragraph.
Another
issue to deal with is “bad pride”. Just because you are good at something that
does not mean that everyone is inferior to you. The flaw in bad pride is that
when you find someone better than you, you lose all confidence in yourself and
you end up hating people without good reason and it also prevents you from
growing in skill. So, how do you combat this? Have a spirit of humility; do not
look down on others and note that there is others who are as skilled or better
than you. There is always room for improvement.
Finally
I would like to write that time is the ultimate currency in this world of ours.
There are people who invest in their unrefined skills thinking that they are
ready, but they end up falling short of people’s expectations. If you want to
be THE BEST YOU, you should use your time wisely by training your mind and your
body for what you want to be. In the training of the mind, I would recommend
that you read the Bible. Like they say, “there is nothing new under the sun”;
the Bible has several Godly examples that one can apply to his/her daily life.
By hiding God’s word in your heart, you are not giving the Devil any leeway to
break you. He uses circumstances, family and friends to distract you from your
potential because he knows that you can be better than you are now (John
10:10). As for training your body, you should make a deliberate effort to
practice at every opportune moment; use the moment when nobody knows who you
are as an opportunity to deliberately grow to a point where you can stand heads
and shoulders with/above your equals. This reminds me of a pictorial quote that
I saw on Facebook featuring President Donald Trump; it says “Feed me to the
wolves and I will come back leading the pack”.
I
am not exactly an expert on life. I am still young and green; but I hope and
pray that this article blesses you.
I
look forward to reading your comments on the box below.
E-Mail:
johnnyogah2000@gmail.com
So everyone, LIVE
LONG AND EXCEL.
It is true, that we become more like the people we surround ourselves with. Nice piece
ReplyDelete