Navigating Life Through Positive Reinforcement
The message that greeted me every day back then in university was posted on my dorm room door. I was grateful and still am for these words. This message gradually shaped my life, changed my views about myself, and eventually helped lay a good foundation for me to have a positive day every day, even today.
Although each day is not without its own uniqueness and challenges, staying true to myself, being confident, and determined to have a positive day every day is what I adopted as my personal mantra.
Below are some principles I prioritize in my journey to last.
Start saying to yourself,” I am an amazing person”. Speak positively about yourself.
Words are some of humanity's most powerful forces. You can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement or destructively with words of despair.
If you want to grow personally and professionally, you need to start speaking positively about yourself and watch yourself transform into what you confess. Successful people know this, no matter their starting point in life.
“The words you speak become the house you live in.” — Hafiz.
Stop reacting to the noise of this world; instead, focus on the word of God upon your life.
Humans are social animals, so there are likely to be interactions with people and pressure to live up to certain societal standards. So, staying focused on God most of the time can be difficult. You can learn to focus on God without neglecting your other important responsibilities. Prioritize your relationship with God by setting spiritual goals for yourself, spending time with God daily, and living by the tenets of your faith.
The world is full of naysayers; distractors, noisemakers you must make a conscious decision to refuse to be distracted.
Set goals for yourself, reward yourself for every goal you succeed at and see yourself become a better person.
Setting personal goals is like laying a roadmap for your journey toward self-improvement. It’s about identifying your goals and giving yourself a clear direction. But remember, the journey is just as important as the destination. That’s why rewarding yourself for each milestone you reach is crucial.
I didn't use to think along these lines; I'd work myself to burnout, and once I achieved a milestone, I'd quickly move on to the next thing. I didn't spend time thinking about growth, what I did differently, and also providing opportunities to reward myself after meeting the goals I set.
It’s not just about celebrating success but acknowledging your effort and keeping your spirits high. Every time you reward yourself, you reinforce that hard work pays off, boosting your motivation to keep pushing forward. As you accomplish these goals, one by one, you’ll notice a transformation in yourself. You become a better person in the eyes of the world and your own eyes, growing more confident and fulfilled with each achievement.
Be present in all things and thankful for all things.
I used to have a boss and mentor who was always very calm under pressure. He hardly displayed frustration, lived in the moment, and always seemed to take things in stride. So, one day, I asked him how he managed. His response was like this: “Ugo, in life, everything is relative. It also depends on what vantage point you are looking at things from.”
If you miss a $1M deal, you can react by sulking all day and getting depressed or respond by saying to yourself, “This prepares me for the next $10M”. If you chose the latter, you might move forward quickly. You have viewed things differently. If you miss out on marrying the love of your life, you can respond by saying to yourself; maybe God is keeping me to marry the spouse that will give me the family of my life. If you fail at a business idea, you can hate yourself forever or choose to learn your lessons, dwell on the successes achieved and use them for the next big venture. It’s all relative.
I developed the habit of thanking God for every small and big thing, good or bad, that happens to me in the day. It seemed simple, and I wanted to give it a try. I had read a lot about the power of gratitude, so I was excited to experiment with this: talking to God daily to thank him.
At first, I felt there was not much I could thank him for. Some days were hard at work, and some hard in the personal sphere. My thank you statements were filled with doubts and desires. But then, slowly, the thank yous became more natural; thanking him for the breath of life, if the weather was just perfect, or if I bought something, or for the lives of my parents and loved ones, and many more such small little moments of joy, happiness and bliss, and even moments of loss, disappointments because all things work together for good to them that loves God [Romans 8:28].
Always see things from the standpoint of God's sovereign love that you're gravitating forward.
Build capacity in the place of prayer.
As simple as it sounds, there's nothing more demystifying than finding strength and building capacity in the place of prayer.
No one is born to pray; prayer is an art and can be learnt once you commit to it diligently.
People who know how to invest in prayer experience longevity in their fields of mastery.
Finally,
