ASK YOURSELF - WHO AM I

                                                    YOUR BACKGROUND

         WHETHER YOU ARE A YOUNG PROFESSIONAL WHO JUST STARTED WORKING, A SUCCESSFUL PROFESSIONA LOOKING FOR MORE FROM LIFE, A STUDENT, A HOMEMAKER, OR A PERSON WHO IS AT THE CROSSROADS WANTING TO MAKE THAT CRITICAL DECISION TO CHANGE CAREERS, MOVE FROM A BUSINESS TO A JOB OR VICE VERSA, OR MOVE ON WITH A RELATIONSHIP, THIS CHAPTER WILL HELP YOU BY MAKING YOU THINK ABOUT TEH FUNDAMENTAL QUESTIONS : WHO ARE YOU? AND WHAT ARE YOU UP TO?

            WE ALL COME FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND CARRY VARIED BAGGAGE. WE HAD ABSOLUTELY NO CONTROL OVER THE PLACE OF OUR BIRTH, THE SELECTION OF OUR PARENTS, OR THE CIRCUMSTANCES AMIDST WHICH WE WERE BORN AND BROUGHT UP DURING THE INTITIAL YEARS OF OUR LIVES. WE KNEW NOTHIN ABOUT RIGHT/WRONG COMPANY, OR RICH/POOR, MODEST/LUXURY, LIVING, RIGHT/WRONG COMPANY, OR WELL/NOT SO EDUCATED PEOPLE.

               WE SENSED, OBSERVED, HEARD, AND WERE SUBJECTED TO A SERIES OF HAPPENINGS THAT BECAME ENGRAVED IN OUR TENDER MINDS, AND WE FORMED WHAT WE CALL BELIEF. WITHOUT EVEN UNDERSTANDING THAT VERY WORD, WE CREATED A BELIEF SYSTEM AND BEGAN JUDGING EVERYTHING AROUND US BASED ON IT. AS WE BECAME OLDER, WE EVEN ASSESSED OURSELVES AND STARTED FEELING GOOD OR BAD BASED ON OUR RELATIVE UNDERSTANDING.

SOME OF US GREW WISER THAN NECESSARY, ENDORSED OUR BEINGS AS CAST IN IRON, CONCLUDED THAT WE CAN'T CHANGE OURSELVES, AND THAT ARE STUCK WITH OUR PRESENT SELF IN ALL ITS FLAWS.

HERE'S THE GOOD NEW THOUGH- YOU CAN START CHANGING YOURSELF AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES AROUND YOU THE MOMENT YOU DECIDE TO DO SO ! AGE, LOCATION, EDUCATION, CREED, AND GENDER ARE NOT A BAR.  SO, YOU MAY BE ASKING THE FOLLOWING QUESTION NOW- WHAT DO I DO TO CHANGE MY SITUATION ?

THE ANSWER LIES IN THESE QUESTIONS : WHO AM I ? WHAT DO I WANT FROM LIFE? WHAT IS MY PASSION? AND WHAT IS IT I CAN DO BETTER THAN OTHERS OR THAT IS UNIQUE?

REMEMBER THAT GOD CREATED ALL OF US WITH A UNIQUE ELEMENT- EACH OF US IS A SPECIAL CREATION OF GOD, WHICH IS WHY NO TWO FINGERPRINTS ARE ALIKE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! YOU MAY BE A GREAT MUSICIAN BUT CURRENTLY WRITING ACCOUNTS, A GREAT COOK BUT PROVIDING MERE DOMESTIC SERVICE RATHER THAN BEING A CHEF AT A HIGH-END FOOD JOINT, OR YOU MAY BE A LIFE COACH BUT FIXING POWER POINT PRESENTATIONS FOR YOUR BOSS SO THAT HE CAN IMPRESS HIS!

ALL OF THIS CAN CHANGE EVEN IF YOU THINK THE TIME FOR IT HAS GONE PAST. HOW DO I KNOW ? I KNOW BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN THERE AND DONE IT. I WANTED TO PLAY THE GUITAR EVER SINCE I WAS IN SCHOOL, I WANTED TO SWIM WHEN I WAS IN CLASS 5, I WANTED TO ACT IN PLAYS WHEN I WAS IN MY FIRST YEARS OF COLLEGE, AND I WANTED TO WRITE EVER SINCE MY VERY FIRST JOB TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO!.

I KEPT POSTPONING ALL OF THESE DREAMS EITHER WITH THE EXCUSE OF LACK OF RESOURCES/TIME OR SIMPLY BECAUSE I DID NOT BELIEVE IT WAS POSSIBLE. I LIVED UNDER THAT LIMITED THINKING FOR ALL THESE YEARS. AS IT COMMONLY SAID, WISE PEOPLE LEARN FROM THEIR OWN MISTAKES, THE SMART FROM OTHERS!

WISE PEOPLE LEAR  FROM THEIR OWN MISTAKES, THE SMART FROM OTHERS!

REMEMBER THAT WE ARE THE BEST CREATION OF GOD. WE ARE NOT HERE ON THIS EARTH BY ACCIDENT. WE ARE HERE FOR A PURPOSE, AND AS YOU START FREEING YOURSELF FROM GUILT, LIMITED THINGKING, AND BEING CRITICAL OF YOURSELF, YOU START DISCOVERING WHO YOU ARE. IT IS LIKE YOUR OLD FURNITURE - UNUSED FOR MANY YEARS AND ALL DUSTY - ONCE YOU DUST IT OFF AND POLISH IT A BIT, IT IS READY TO SHOW ITS CHARM AGAIN.

BEGIN BY DOING THE FOLLOWING:

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ACCEPT YOURSELF THE WAY YOU ARE - DO NOT JUDGE OR COMPARE YOURSELF WITH ANYBODY ELSE.

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DO NOT DO ANYTHING TO PLEASE OTHERS - DO IT FOR YOURSELF.

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SET A BENCHMARK TO MEASURE YOUR PROGRESS IN AREAS YOU WANT TO IMPROVE UPON - HEALTH, WORK, RELATIONSHIP, SPIRITUAL JOURNEY, OR ANY OTHER ARE YOU ARE DESTINED TO EXCEL AT.

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CLEAR YOUR HEAD OF THE CONCEPT OF MONEY - WHILE MONEY CAN ALWAYS GIVE YOU AN ILLUSORY FEELING OF BEING MORE SUCCESSFUL OR LESS, DO NOT BE MISLED BY ITS LACK OR ABUNDANCE - IT IS ONLY A BY - PRODUCT AND IN ITSELF CANNOT OFFER SUSTAINABLE HAPPINESS, SATISFACTION, AND THE FEELING OF FULFILLMENT. IT IS THE COMPLETE PACKAGE THAT GIVES YOU LASTING SATISFACTION. 

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LIVE EACH DAY WITH UTMOST ENTHUSIASM, AND BE AWARE THAT YOU ARE ON THIS EARTH  WITH AN EXPIRY DATE IN YOUR FUTURE - THE ONLY UNCERTAINLY BEING THE ACTUAL DATE - SO, DO NOT POSTPONE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANT TO AND CAN DO TODAY, EVEN BY ONE DAY AS YOU MAY NOT HAVE ONE MORE !

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