Perseverance

Have you come to a point in your life where you feel like a colossal failure, a complete loser, and a non-starter? Has it become unthinkable for you to embark on any project, very tough to try your hands on something new, and almost impossible to achieve a goal? Hey, I’ve been there too.

I have several time  been to this point where I call the mind’s ‘base point’ that I know it’s not just a feeling but a state of the mind; a sour and defeated state of the mind. And of course the unseen mind pretty much controls everything happening to or around us. For more on the mind see The  At this base point you feel and seem useless to yourself, and reading this article will make you feel either of two different ways depending on how far down this road you have traveled: if you are not yet at your mind’s base point articles like this might spark some Interest and life in you; but if you have truly really reached your mind’s base point then articles like this draw criticism and disdain from you because you feel the authors could never know what you’ve been through. That is it friend; that sign of surrendered resignation to ‘fate’. That is exactly what this article is going to help you fight and win. Notice the word, fate, in quotation marks? It is on purpose just to boldly let you know that you can change even fate by what you THINK and BELIEVE. Yes that’s why you have your mind, which is universal and unfettered in its ability to control your environment.

Before jumping into how you can come out of that defeated state of mind, let’s see some of the ways people find themselves trapped in this no-go base point of the mind.

#1 Repeated failures

For the weak in mind, I mean those who do not know the enormous power vested upon their minds, repeated failures in one or many areas of their lives can have devastating effects. When failure repeatedly occurs in different areas of people’s lives it acquires (because it is a gradual process) a strangle hold on them but, when it is in one area of life they just shut off themselves from ever trying to succeed in that area again.

Imagine someone trying business a number of times and failing all of the time, going to school and not making his/her grades, doing this and it doesn’t work, trying that and still fails. If you are reading this article and have not run into such disaster yourself you might think it is a joke. But it is true. After the usual flaps and kicks in these murky waters some of such people eventually give up the idea of being successful in life – and stay defeated.

Imagine another person who has had success in every other area of her life but when it comes to her relationships she’s failed over and over again. After a few more tries she gives it up – again, defeated. It mustn’t be about relationships, it might be just any other area of one’s life. I have been in this situation before. The resultant effect is for some of such people in this situation to lock up this part of their lives and get on, never trying to succeed in this area again because they don’t want to get hurt or disappointed again.

#2 Background

While growing up I had friends who were practically completely bereft of life’s good. No money, no food, no clothing, no love, yes school but no fees, yes parents but sincerely couldn’t help! Their lives were just a cycle of needs, wants, and tears until the tears never came again. Also there are people who live in shacks and shanties. They have kids and teenagers who everyday see and wallow in the kind of life that is rife in such places. And gradually they accept that standard of living after trying a few times to get out.

I have seen these kinds of people and there are two very different sets of reactions they exhibit to what is happening to and around them:

a. Never allow these things to affect their minds, put up a strong front, hold a bright hope for the future, and fight till they achieve.

b. Allow their situation to affect their minds, put a lid to their growth, wilt in front of the vagaries of life, settle for status quo, and give up the fight.

Whatever might be the troubles and situations that brought you to a defeated state of mind must fall into category 1 or 2 or both. It does not matter; however, what matters is your attitude to life. Are you in group a or b above?

How You Can Win Again

How you can win again? Simple: Dare to Try Again! Let me be a tad harsh here: everything that has happened or is happening to you right now is completely dependent on your choice. And I’ll teach you right away how to change your choice and automatically change your life as a result. Please don’t eat me up! I know you had no say about being born to very poor parents, or born in a shanty, or even being an orphan. That is very much accepted. You may then go further to argue that the above situations made you become this trapped but, to this I say NOT TRUE! What in hell do I mean? Nothing!! Am just saying you should try the following:

#1 Change Your Attitude

Change your attitude to life! Change the way you think and feel about life; change your behaviour towards issues concerning your life. This is the first big step towards making the difference. Do you want your life back? Then you must cast the shackles of negative attitude to issues and life in general from off your mind, and adopt a strong, positive outlook to life. You have to begin to see things differently and accept only the best. Note that it may not be very easy to jump out of that base point hole called defeat in just a day; change attitude is a gradual process, and you must keep constantly at it. I promise you one thing though: it will work.

#2 Believe the Truth

It is a big lie that you were predestined to fail. A big lie it is that you are supposed to suffer. It is also another fat lie that you were meant to be poor, meant to die, and meant not to succeed. These are lies coming from a defeated mind, and from what people say or act around you. You’ve had your fill of troubles and lies but here is the TRUTH: you were made to succeed. This is no exaggeration irrespective of what you think. You were predestined and destined to be who you CHOOSE to be. Yes, predestination gives you room and freedom to attain heights you choose to attain, and not condemn you to some tightly tailored pattern of life. And that is the truth. You were born into this world with freewill and freedom of choice to be whomsoever and whatsoever you choose to be. Let it sink into your mind because it is the truth. You must ditch every lie you have hitherto held onto and believe these truths before you can make any meaningful progress in life. Friend, whatsoever you lay your hands on shall prosper if you believe.

#3 Believe in Yourself

It is time to throw away all those pessimistic and no-starter beliefs you used to hold about yourself. Believe in your innate ability to grow and succeed. Have confidence in yourself in everything you want to do. Expand your horizon and stop limiting yourself! Look at the outside world, see people who have made it, put yourself in their place and say I CAN make it. And indeed you will. If you get to this point then there is no more stopping you.

#4 Use Your Mind

Hear this: thinking is being. Thoughts are an expression of the unseen mind. Know this: the unseen mind controls the seen world. Your mind has enormous power to control the world around you and you can use this power to control events in your life. Your success or lack of it is down to the state of your mind – what you allow your mind to think and believe. This is no fairy tale because there are scientific proofs and real life experiences to back it. For more on the power of the mind see Mind Power. At the subatomic level, like attracts like, and this is called the Law of Attraction, and your thoughts which are basically energy operate at this level. Your thoughts are actually expressed into reality and it you know and believe this you’ll agree with me that you have to change your thoughts and perceptions to very positive ones to match your desires in life. It’s very simple: use your mind to attract what you want and you can do this by thinking your dreams and desires into existence. It’s even simpler: think positive and get good; think negative and get bad.

It might take some time before you start seeing results because you have hitherto inflicted your mind with so many negative thoughts but, keep at it and with time you’ll begin to see the goods manifesting in reality.

#5 Stay Strong

It might be impossible to prevent yourself from failing sometimes just like a toddler learning to walk. However, whenever this happens redefine your definition of failure and try again. Let me help you here: failure isn’t failing but it is failing and refusing to try again. Do not allow temporary failure to prevent you from seeing the big picture. Always look at the big picture and stay strong. Falling does not kill, it will make you stronger.

Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric bulb, said when he tried and failed hundreds of times to make the electric bulb that he just found many ways of not making the electric bulb. And yes, he finally got it right. If you have heard of Abraham Lincoln, you’ll know he was a man accustomed to failing but never gave up. He finally became one of America’s greatest presidents. Check out the great men and women in history with landmark achievements, they were not born great and some of them really, really failed over and over but never did they give up. They held on, kept on, fought on, and finally achieved. What am saying is, Dare To Try Again!