IMAGINE THAT

[6 min read]

At my chapel door every Sunday, there is a basket of small cards at the door from which worshippers are to pick from; and this Sunday, I picked a card that read – ‘If you can’t win even in your own imagination, then you are a very special loser. Your imagination is your wining ground. No man born of a woman should be able to defeat you there. Be positive…have a victorious mindset! Proverbs 23:7 For has he thinks in his heart, so is he’.

This card stirred me up, it reminded me of so much battles that I had won physically, but I had conquered earlier in my mind.

Our mind influences our daily decisions and actions more than we understand. It is the breeding ground for a lot of successes, failures and vices. It is a ground where you are the General commander, the alpha and omega, so yes, your mind is that powerful. The problem is that we don’t use our mind the way we should.

Listening to preachers and motivational speakers, I noticed that one thing is common -  building our thought process. Irrespective of gender, societal class, profession or race, before we take an action, we always think about it. Some thinking takes longer than others; some actions require quick thinking, while others require consultations and long term thinking.

Just like everything alive, our minds need to be fed, and they are fed with the things we see and hear. So, what or whom do you listen to? What do you watch? What are you feeding your mind with?

Is it just carbohydrates (that will give your mind energy, but no room for growth?) or just proteins (plenty growth, but no energy for execution?) or is it dirt? (negativity) or are you feeling your mind a balanced meal, giving you room to grow, be positive and the required drive to execute thought out plans?

Are you around negative people, who feed your mind with abuse, gossip, pessimism and whining? Do you move with naysayers and ambitionless people?

If yes, the effect of it (whether you admit it or not) is that you start to reason like them. They will automatically affect the way you view the world. Imagine living with a group of radicals (whatever it is they are radicalizing about), you hear their radical thoughts, day in day out; subconsciously you start seeing things from their perspective, then you start thinking and talking like them, until you believe in whatever they believe in. It is like listening to a song your roommate or neighbor plays every day; whether or not you are actively listening to the song, one day you will find yourself subconsciously humming the lyrics of the song. So, what are you listening to? Who are you listening to?

What do you watch? What do you feed your eyes with? Pictures of naked women on the internet? One cannot look through your phone without being disgusted? Are you an avid social media user who has taken to spending so much time watching twerking videos, or are you one who has taken to watching videos teaching you how to do reasonable things that could actually help your life? If we asked your eyes to say what they see daily, would it beg for mercy?

Watch positivity, hear positivity, think positivity and do positivity.

As usual, I will be giving an example using myself. As a medical student, there are many opportunities for different sets of people to get in your head and crush you. I was not adequately prepared for the life medical school threw at me. Staying in school for many years can crush you, especially when you spend the time that it would take for you to complete two BSc. programs. Shall we talk of our lectures and how you are supposed to know everything in a short time and never forget it too? Or is it the long ward rounds, standing and wishing you had done theatre arts and moved on with your life. Then the medical school exams and results that make you rethink your level of intelligence. The frustrations and tears became a sure thing for me at a level, but I always knew what I wanted out of life.

Having a dream, a purpose and a destination is also imperative when building your imagination. Where do you see yourself, what do you want out of life? For me, thevshort term goal is graduation. Yes, as simple as that. So I wake up every day knowing that it is either I graduate soon and they start calling me doctor, or I sell pepper (this was how my father motivated us to read when I was younger).

I also have amazing people who always bring positive energy into my life. I would call my parents and cry and they would say calm down, it is almost over. I heard it so much that I actually started telling others that this journey is almost over. Surrounding yourself with people who have the right mindset cannot be overemphasized.

Just like you require constant eating to prevent yourself from being malnourished, your mind needs constant positivity to stay strong. Now, don’t imagine alone and fold your arms, Do!

You want to achieve something, after prepping your mind, get the necessary materials and be trainable. Read good materials, watch good movies, hold sensible conversations. Have it in your mind that nothing good comes easy from daydreaming, you got to put in that work as well.

Above all, guard your mind jealously. It is your most valuable possession. If someone can succeed in crushing your mind, then you have lost. No matter how many times you fall, with the right imagination you will always rise.

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