A friend of mine told me about one of his relatives doing the fashion and tailoring business. Let us call the relative Boris for purposes of this story. He was complaining that Boris has been at the same level for a long time without progressing. That saddened my friend because Boris’s level of skill is superb! I concurred when he showed me images of Boris’s work. Boris designs and sews clothing for celebrities and big shots. His clients have no doubt about his abilities. However, he still loses customers greatly, due to poor management and a failure to see beyond his immediate needs. His customers do not feel comfortable coming to his premises due to its poor setup and lack of a proper system.
My friend once asked Boris, “What is your dream for this business?” and Boris replied, “Mi natafuta tu hela ya chakula (I just want to get money for food)”.
My friend was shocked. He told Boris, ”You are capable of more than just money to feed. When I see you, I see millions! You simply do not know how great your talent is.” My friend then went on to give Boris some good ideas to develop his design and tailoring business – ideas to take Boris to a level worthy of his skill and talent.
Several months later, Boris hasn’t moved one bit. He is still the same.
What is Boris’ main problem? It is his view of himself. He thinks all he is worth is money for food. He could learn better management skills and other ways of improving the business. He already has the platform to make a big leap. However, his mindset of himself and his ability holds him back.
Why am I telling you this story? Here is why; in life, you usually get not what you deserve but what you choose.
Whether you choose what you deserve or you deserve what you choose is a whole different matter.
Your choice is determined by your reflection of yourself.
To choose wisely, you need to have a healthy perspective of yourself.
There are unique cases where you choose right but your choice is stripped from you-that is a tragedy and is not what I am talking about now. Even from this though, you can still choose to bounce back, if you have a healthy perspective of yourself.
Generally speaking, we all have free will to make choices. On a daily basis we make thousands of choices. Primarily what drives our choices is our thought processes. What drives our thought processes is our perception of ourselves and our environment. When you have a healthy perception, you make healthy choices.
We are all precious beings, created with divine abilities and a nature beyond our imagination. We are capable of achieving and conquering mountains. Within us, we have strength to overcome obstacles and jump great hurdles. When we fail to evaluate ourselves correctly, we are at a risk of living mediocre lives.
If you do not know that you are a king or queen, you will not know that you are created to rule. Similarly, if you do not know the greatness of the being that is in you, you will not know that you can achieve great things even when you have obvious skill and talent to do so.
It’s all in the mind.
We need to have a healthy self-esteem. It is paramount to getting ahead in life. A healthy perception of who you are is necessary for a fruitful and fulfilling life.
How do you get a healthy self-esteem? By believing in who you are, by being positive about your abilities, by acknowledging that you are a precious and profound being.
I feel that this post would not be complete without the following poem which I crafted specially for you…
From the tips of your hair to the soles of your feet,
You were created special and unique…
A spitting image of the master crafter
To do great works.
…..
From the joy’s you’ve felt to the pains you’ve held,
All come together in a beautiful story
Of wondrous glory and a victorious heart
A heart that’s yours
…..
You are greater than your past,
Your mistakes do not define or confine you.
You are better than you think,
Your abilities are profound.
…..
Keep your head up
Your eyes fixed on success
Keep your dreams strong and bold
Your mind focused in faith
…..
Through life’s twists and turns,
Remember;
You are of great value
You are a precious masterpiece!
by -Keziah Elaine Ayikoru-
Keziah Elaine Ayikoru 