If you want to succeed in life, you’ve got to master yourself. If you cannot master yourself, you cannot master anything in life. There are no two ways about this. I’ve seen this play out in the lives of super achievers.
I once read an interview with Olympic champion, Mo Farah and he talked about the fact that he works hard, misses the birthdays of his kids, just because of his goals in long distance running.
I also read how Napoleon Hill turned down an offer by a friend to have a leisure trip at a time he was supposed to be working. He said he politely turned down the offer and didn’t regret it.
Such is the power of self-mastery. You’re able to direct your energy toward your goals and reject stuff that will not serve your purposes, all without feeling guilty.
But, first things first. What is self-mastery? Renee Cefalu, an author, offers a definition. According to him, “Self-mastery is the ability to maneuver through life without the mind or emotional attachment. It is being a mindfully present observer instead of the mind identified perceiver.”
Basically, self-mastery is being able to go through life with your emotions in check. It means being able to live mindfully, in the now.
5 Things to Master to Gain Self Mastery
Master Your Thoughts If you cannot master your thoughts, you cannot master your self. At every point, you’re always what you think. If you think you’re capable, that’s what you are. If you think you’re weak, that’s just what you are. As someone who wants to succeed, you’ve got to be able to redirect your thoughts to what you want them to be. In other words, think about what you’re thinking about.
Don’t just allow thoughts to drop in your mind and you start thinking them without checking if they’re harmful or not.
Master Your Words Aside your thoughts, you’ve got to master your words. They are powerful. The Bible says death and life are in the power of the tongue. Your life is generally shaped by your thoughts and words. Interestingly, you always say what you think about. If you want to know what a man is thinking, just listen to his words. Your words have creative energy, ensure to make massive deposits into your future through the words you speak.
Master Your Actions Your actions are a derivative of what you think and say. You will never act contrary to your thoughts and words. No wonder Mahatma Gandhi once said:
“Your beliefs become your thoughts, Your thoughts become your words, Your words become your actions, Your actions become your habits, Your habits become your values, Your values become your destiny.”
If you say you cannot do a chore, your actions will follow suit. The moment you change words and say “I know it’s going to be tough but I will do it”, your actions will align with your words. So, master your actions. Ensure they’re in line with what you want to achieve. Let your actions and your words be in alignment.
Master Your Emotions Our emotions can either break or make us. We’re all emotional beings but our emotions need to be mastered for the gateway of success to be opened to us. For instance, if you have the goal of writing every night and one night, you just didn’t feel like writing, what should you do? Should you indulge your feelings? No. Just master your emotions and write. You’ll feel better afterwards. Believe me when I say this.
Master Your Environment The environment includes the internal and external environment. The internal environment includes your thoughts, self-talk, etc. You should master your inner environment by watching the thoughts that drop in your mind as well as what you say to yourself. The negative voices that tell you can’t do a task should be shut down.
The external environment is the media and people you expose yourself to. Media includes music, video, radio, social, etc. If you can master them, you can master yourself.
Basically, self-discipline comes to play in self-mastery. If you cannot discipline yourself to do stuff when you don’t feel like doing them, you just cannot master yourself.
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- 30 Quotes About Gaining New Skills And Self-Development
- Never Give Up On Reaching Your Desired Goal
I want to give a thumbs up to you!