Self Motivation and Development
"To Thine Own Self Be True"
self motivation and development - introduction
Are you living your life based on the truth or are you living a lie? Is your life controlled by a lack of understanding of who you are, your capabilities and your shortcomings?
Living by the truth is a necessity if you desire to live a fulfilling life. Today, many are living a lie. Firstly, they are living a life they neither designed nor control. Secondly, they are living their lives based on false perceptions.
self motivation and development - get rid of false beliefs
If you desire positive change in your life you must be totally committed to recognizing and weeding out the false perceptions that are undesirable and that are a hindrance to achieving your dreams.
Let me give you some examples. There are many people that are living in the misconception that if they work hard all their productive life in a “good” job, they will enjoy their old age in comfort and won’t ever need to work again once they get their hard-earned pension.
There are others that believe that they are not capable of ever having their own successful business or being wealthy and are content with just getting by. Conversely, there are those that are living thinking that they one day will be rich and yet they are doing nothing about getting there. Additionally, there are those that are living beyond their means because they think they already are wealthy. There are others who want to have a happy marriage and wonderful kids, yet they spend all their time at “the club” with their friends or at work. They do not put in the time and effort that is needed to have a good, happy family.
There are yet other people that live the lie that their boss will one day wake up in a good mood and give them a promotion rather than them having to do something outstanding to get noticed and to actually deserve the promotion. Never mind the fact that even if they got the promotion they would lose it in a week for incompetence because they had not prepared for it.
self motivation and development - live by the truth
The list goes on and on and so could I. The point I am trying to get at is that if you desire to live a life of success you have to live by the truth. You have to be able to critically look at yourself and your life and see where you are in relation to where you want to be.
This is not always pleasant. But it is necessary. As author and psychiatrist Dr. M. Scott Peck says in his classic book, The Road Less Traveled, “a life of total dedication to the truth also means a life of willingness to be personally challenged.”
It is not easy to look at yourself and realise that there are some things within you that you need to change. It is sometimes very painful to face the unpleasant things about yourself, your friends, your spouse and others. But if you don’t acknowledge and face the truth of your unpleasant situation how can you change it?
self motivation and development - life is hard
Generally speaking, people live the lie that life is supposed to be easy. We complain when things seem a little tough or we have to put some extra effort into something. But as Dr. Peck opens in his book: “Life is difficult. This is a great truth….because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult - once we truly understand and accept it - then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”
self motivation and development - you can make it easier
This statement is only one side of the coin. The other side is that though life is difficult, there are ways to make it easier. There are ways to make life more fulfilling and more enjoyable. I am not saying these ways are easy, in fact they are not. That is why few people are willing to travel that way. But for those that do, the rewards are great.
These things include, but are not limited to: knowing who you really are, dedicating yourself to continuous learning, being committed to personal leadership, dedication to live by the truth (no matter how unpleasant it may be), and the courage and ability to be all that you can be. These are some of the attributes of a dreamer.
Being unrealistic and living on “cloud nine” are not attributes of a dreamer, as is commonly the perception. It is generally thought that if you are a dreamer then your head is not on the right way or, at the very least, you have a screw loose somewhere up there.
self motivation and development - a lesson from history
The list of great dreamers that were ridiculed and laughed at in their times is long and offers great insight into human nature and the folly of listening to the masses. Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell and Henry Ford are people that we recognize today as having contributed a lot to the wellbeing and advancement of humanity.
Yet these same people, at some point in their lives, had to shrug off the nay-sayers and those that called them “mad” because of their great dreams. Fortunately for us all, they did not listen to all the negative vibe that was coming their way. They persevered in the face of great opposition. That goes to illustrate one great truth about dreamers. They are not unrealistic or stuck in their own world, but to the contrary, they are very realistic and grounded in the truth. Their greatest crime is having a mindset that is way bigger than their peers’.
self motivation and development - dedication to the truth
It takes dedication to the truth to discover the laws of nature and how they can be applied to benefit us. If Thomas Edison had not lived a life dedicated to the truth he would not have known half the things he discovered.
Where would the world be today had he listened to all the criticism and thrown in the towel? Where will you and the generations after you be if you give up on your dreams because of some opposition and criticism?
self motivation and development - conclusion
The only thing that people who reach out to their dreams are guilty of is being way ahead of their peers, family and friends in terms of their ability to see the dazzling future ahead of them. Next time someone criticizes you and tells you to “come down to earth” tell them to go and buy a pair of sunglasses. They will need them to keep from going blind when they see you shine!
The immortal words of Jesus Christ ring out loud: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
You are all you can be. Go on and be it.
I hope you have enjoyed these articles on motivation and that they will be of benefit to you as you reach out to your dreams.
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Other Books By Dr. Moses:
Power Principles For Purposeful Living
"Powerful And Life-Changing Lessons On How To Maximise Your Potential And Live Your Dreams"
Power Principles for Fearless & Abundant Living
"How To Let Go of Fear and Embrace Prosperity"
In the POWER PRINCIPLES series of books, Dr. Moses Simuyemba, "Africa's Success Coach", shares his knowledge, experience and insight to help you in overcoming your personal challenges and limitations and inspire you towards the life you desire and deserve: a life of greater purpose, free of fear and full of abundance.