Resonance

Category: Mindfulness

  • Philosophy, Psychology, Pseudoscience & Perspectives

    Eons ago, the Greeks gathered under trees, and absolutely drunk, they discussed wild ideas. Such an informal gathering in open space is what birthed some of the prevalent ideas in modern society today. It was an open-mindedness so open trash was considered genius because it was new. Soon, philosophy became a thing as these informal schools came up with schools of thought that debunked the status quo. People want something unconventional instead of something fresh. They want stable truths debunked because, to them, they are stale. Don’t we see much of that today? Let’s delve into the 4 areas that will be responsible for the confusion of many. Do you remember how confusing last week’s post was? So hard to read, right? Today, I’m going to lay it bare before you so you can realise the Truth.

    Philosophy

    Philosophy is a rabbit hole into nothingness. In the beginning, it seems like a wise discourse or a platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge. What it basically is is the Gospel according to opinions. It’s what I call the spirit of the Greeks. People can clearly see Mammon, the spirit of Babylon. Some recognize the spirit of Medo-Persia, especially in areas where the Haman spirit chases down Christians with threats and murder. However, comfortable Christians have been rampaged by the spirit of the Greeks. Where this spirit dominates, the Gospel never faces fierce opposition. You can easily be allowed to share the Gospel like Paul was when he reached Athens. However, the Gospel is treated as simply one school of thought.

    Acts 17:21 says “all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing.” The science of opinions. No wonder people are easily offended nowadays. Unity is not when our opinions align and agree. People don’t want to know the truth anymore. Just want to hear what makes them feel good and strokes their ego. Cunningly-devised fables, if you will. As 1 Timothy 6:20 puts it, this is what people falsely call “knowledge”.

    The desire for something new instead of something fresh is what Scriptures call itchy ears in 2 Timothy 4:3. “God loves me? I already know that. That’s not new. Tell me something I haven’t heard before”. When they hear something new, weird and don’t understand yet, they then say, “wow, this is deep”. This is what pushes people to now invent new things from old truths in order to entertain their listeners. Don’t fall for the “go deeper” shenanigans. There’s always a fresh Word from God but never a totally new word from that which has already been established.

    This is what gave birth to “relative truth” rundown. One will say we all have our truths and that you have your truth and I have my truth. Some even say there’s no such thing as truth. Well, if that’s the case, then why should I believe you? It’s all mindless confusion. You follow it at your own peril. You will become a very wise fool. The gospel according to our opinions is responsible for why people want to hear what celebrities have to say. We have become so open-minded that historical facts seem not to exist anymore because it has become a matter of opinions. This is also the basics for the “I feel; therefore I am” movements. You feel like a girl even though you are a boy so you dress like a girl. Feelings over facts. It is the wisdom of men as Paul said 1 Corinthians 1 and 2. Speaking of wisdom, let’s talk about psychology.

    Psychology

    When we discussed the wisdom of the devil, we mentioned that there are 3 kinds of Wisdom; the Wisdom from above, the wisdom of this world and human wisdom. Even the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men. It is the foolishness of God to pick what men reject to confound the wise, not that God is actually foolish. Human wisdom does not guarantee anything. If you really are a Christian, let your way of thinking be solely based on Scripture. Psychology will only support what Scripture has already established. I say this because a lot of psychology and philosophy is preached from pulpits and what most Christians believe, they cannot even point to one Bible verse to support it.

    Do you believe in psychology quotes or do you quote Scriptures? This “follow your heart”, “do what you love”, “believe in yourself” etc is all psychology and philosophy. With time, someone will come and debunk it and propose a new theory that makes sense in another way. Today, psychology wants us to believe that hard work is not important and that we should work smart instead. In the next 10 years, working smart will be seen as archaic and wrong. Meanwhile, Scriptures offer principles that are established and proven, regardless of person, time or even place. It is dangerous to live your life based on what psychology is saying. It is like building in the sand. If you are indeed a Christian, the Scriptures should form the bedrock of all your beliefs and worldview.

    When someone speaks psychology and philosophy, they make sense because they speak to the mind. However, making sense and knowing the truth is not always the same. The truth does not always make sense, my dear. Whoever speaks truth speaks to the spirit. Jesus said His Words are spirit and life. In hard times, you can hold on to the Word of Truth in your spirit. All your knowledgeable psychology ideas will fall like a pack of cards because none of them will even come to mind in tough times. Motivational speakers speak to your mind. Bible teachers speak to your spirit. The latter makes a lasting impact. You can use mindfulness to achieve things in this life but you cannot use it to conquer sin, the world and Satan. It’s only the Word!

    Pseudoscience

    The foundation of science was laid by people who believed in God and looked forward to His inspirations. Many of them had visions and saw answers via dreams. Today, the average scientist wants you to believe otherwise. For crying out loud, Sir Isaac Newton had more notes from Bible Study than on science and mathematics combined. Much of what we call science is basically pseudoscience. Certain theories have been held in higher esteem than even the laws in science. Atheism wants it to look like it’s backed by the world of science. Meanwhile, everything in science screams of a Designer. Big bang theory is simply a theory. It was even first proposed by a Catholic priest, a theist. It has not been proven, and yet, it is always discussed as if it is.

    Also, why has the big bang theory become an atheist worldview of the beginning of life when it was proposed by a theist and hasn’t been proven? Are you telling me you knew what happened 300 million years ago but don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus, something that happened just 2000 years ago and was confirmed by 500+ witnesses? Seriously? You really think we actually share a common ancestor as apes? Pseudoscience has reduced human beings to simply animals. It has stripped us of the “fearfully and wonderfully made” identity and scoffed us into believing we are insignificant compared to the rest of the universe. What will you choose? Christianity that gives you genuine purpose and hope, or a Pseudoscience that proposes that you’re just a random happening? It takes more blind faith to be an atheist. There’s too much make-believe.

    Also, Charles Darwin clearly stated that he could be wrong concerning his theory of evolution. He said if a complex organ could not be explained by gradual modifications, his theory “would absolutely break down”. Guess what? A complex organ cannot be objectively explained by gradual modifications. Scientists say the belief in God will influence their scientific experiments but atheism is equally a worldview that influences as much. We can create as humans but we weren’t created? We came from nothing and are evolving into nothingness? Oh wow! We don’t even know how life came from non-life but let’s pretend all of science is based evolution theory and the big bang theory.

    Is evolution real? Yes. However, the leap from “animals change slightly over time” to “all life is the result of mindless natural processes” is completely absurd and untrue. It’s an extrapolation of the adaptation of species. All this is targeted at eroding humanity from his true origin. Today, “intelligent” people believe in these things, making us look foolish for believing we are made in the image of God. Take heart! It is only a recent dilemma. About 99% of people who have ever lived believed in the existence of God. Don’t let them deceive you that we were indoctrinated to believe in God. There are isolated tribes in the world with no contact with our current civilization and yet, they believe in a Supreme Being. It is Charles Spurgeon who said “atheism is a strange thing. Even the devils never fell into that vice”.

    Perspectives

    In the realms of humans, nothing was made to be permanent. Everything has advantages and disadvantages. God can bring good out of something evil and something good can lead to something evil. That being said, don’t justify your wrong when God brings something good out of it. Also, perspectives have become the venue to erode absolutes and objectivity. When you do good, there are both advantages and disadvantages to it. The advantages or disadvantages are not what predetermines what is good or bad. Otherwise, what is good or bad becomes a matter of perspective rather than an objective morality upheld by God.

    Let me give you an example. It is good to give, not because of the advantages of giving (because there are also disadvantages), but because it is commanded by God. Goodness is based on God. Take God out of the picture and now, we are just left to determine what is good and bad from its advantages and disadvantages. Meanwhile, there are advantages and disadvantages of every action in this realm, whether good or bad. The fact that something gives you an advantage does not mean it is the right thing to do. Have you seen why modern societies are now finding it hard to determine what is good and what is not? Subjective morality is no morality at all. It will only be a matter of opinions until we accept pedophilia as an acceptable form of sexuality.

    Let’s Put Religion Aside?

    Have you ever heard someone say, “let’s put religion aside. We are humans first”. Really? We don’t know what religion is again, do we? It is because Christ taught and exemplified love for one another that I am compelled by His Grace to do the same. If we put that aside, what will be left? “Humanity first!”. True humanity is what Christ exemplified in the flesh. “Let’s put the Bible aside”. No, we aren’t. If we put all of this aside, wherein lies the core of my morality? We will go back to the Gospel according to opinions. Objective morality only exists because God. If we put God aside, everything in society will crumble.

    What they won’t tell you is that western civilization was built on Christian values. That’s why we aren’t seeing a sudden collapse just yet. Objective morality is so strong, people wish the well-being of others and generally, help is available; people are nice to each other, systems work and the needs of the underprivileged are addressed. All these are as a result of Christian values entrenched into the system. The dilemma is that African culture is built on idolatry so we are yet to fully let go of idolatrous influence and fully embrace Christian values. Thus, you will see atheist Westerners showing you more love than Christians in Africa. Don’t be confused from now onwards.

    If western civilization refuses to uphold and recognise the place of Christ in society, their civilization will collapse like many other civilizations in human history. This is not rocket science.

    The Scoffing spirit

    Scriptures, especially in Proverbs, point to the spirit of scorners and scoffers. You may not have noticed but once you understand it from here, search the Scriptures to see. It is one of the highest expressions of pride. In Psalm 1, we see a progression from ungodly to sinners to scornful. These are people who mock God and the things of God. They make you feel foolish for believing in something so simple. Not only that, they seem to have a way of making something great look small and insignificant. Pseudoscience have tried their best to paint humans as insignificant. Feminism have tried their best to paint men as insignificant. Modern societies have tried their best to paint being a housewife as someone insignificant. It is their nature to belittle things that actually form the core.

    Do you have a friend who always finds a way to devalue your achievements? They have this diction and mindset of seeing it from a different perspective in a bad light. The same is done to Judeo-Christianity perpetually throughout centuries. There’s a way the Gospel can be painted to look as though it is dumb. That’s why the Scriptures say “the message of the Cross is foolishness to those who are perishing”. If you give attention to such ideologies for long, you will follow the progression of the wicked in Psalm 1. You will walk, stand and eventually sit in the seat of the scornful. You will cast pearls before swine. You will treat what is Holy as a common thing, as Hebrews 10:29 puts it. Our minds are fragile; we believe something in accordance with how many times we hear it. Believe you me, if you give your attention to the scoffing spirit, you will become an evangelist for this religion of vanity. They will make a mockery of the simplicity of the Gospel but won’t tell you how empty their worldview is. Beware!

    Philosophy, psychology, perspectives and pseudoscience. If you give your attention to any of these four, you become knowledgeable but you will lack wisdom. Selah!

  • The God of Logic

    In the realm of abstract and philosophical thought, there exists a fascinating concept—the God of Logic. If we search for God, we can find Him and know Him. The truth can be known. The truth is rational. The truth has a logic to it. This Logic of God can renew one’s mind in a very rational way, for there’s nothing as spiritual and supernatural as that. Paul said it this way; “be renewed in the spirit of your mind“.


    The idea of a God of Logic emerges from the deep-rooted human desire to comprehend the mysteries of existence through reason and rationality. It doesn’t belong to any particular religious tradition but rather exists as a philosophical concept, often associated with the pursuit of knowledge and truth. God is a God of Logic; so can be the pursuit of Him.



    Attributes of the God of Logic:

    1. Omniscience: In the realm of logic, this divine persona possesses boundless knowledge, encompassing the entire spectrum of human understanding. It is an embodiment of perfect knowledge, leaving no room for uncertainty or ambiguity.

    2. Impartiality: The God of Logic adheres strictly to the laws of reason, devoid of emotions or biases. It represents an unwavering commitment to impartiality, judgment based solely on rational principles.

    3. Order and Harmony: Logic inherently seeks order and consistency. Therefore, the God of Logic is often associated with maintaining the harmonious order of the universe, where everything follows a rational pattern.


    The Quest for Truth:

    Adherents see the pursuit of truth and understanding as a form of divine worship. Through reason and rationality, they seek to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos, believing that in doing so, they come closer to understanding the divine logic that underlies all of existence. Logical reasoning leads one closer to God. It’s irrational, for instance, to doubt the existence of God when all logic proves it.



    Philosophical Implications:

    The concept of the God of Logic has profound philosophical implications. It raises questions about the relationship between reason and faith, the limits of human understanding, and the nature of truth. It challenges individuals to grapple with the interplay of logic and belief, inviting them to reconcile the rational with the mystical.

    The Quest for Balance:

    While the God of Logic emphasizes reason and rationality, it doesn’t necessarily exclude the realms of spirituality. For many, this concept represents a harmonious balance between faith and reason, acknowledging that both have a role to play in our understanding of the universe.


    God is a God of Order and Logic too. I don’t fear a logical non-spiritual person. I fear an irrational spiritual person. They pose more threat and are more susceptible to the deceptions of hell. I don’t know about you, but this is a thought-provoking concept that invites us to explore the profound interplay between reason and spirituality and our yearning for deeper understanding. As we contemplate this concept, we are reminded that the pursuit of knowledge, guided by reason, can be a form of spiritual enlightenment and a path toward a deeper connection with the God of the universe.

    This may shock the super-spiritual people but God can be found via the search for knowledge and truth. Seeking is an important part of the journey of knowing God. Reason and rationality are not the opposite of spiritual and supernatural. Until these two worlds come together in the Christian community, both are going to be deficient in the other. Selah!

  • Habits & Distractions: Why Our Brain Tricks Us to Avoid Discomfort

    Sigmund Freud proposed that everything we do is in pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of pain. However, not every habit we find ourselves in is necessarily pleasurable, and pain is a strong word for the kind of feelings we avoid. Neurologically speaking, we all do things to avoid discomfort.

    Physiologically, this is true. In fact, that is how our body is run instinctively. When the weather becomes too cold, we at least hold ourselves in to keep ourselves warm. When it’s warmer, we fan ourselves. When we are hungry for too long, it gives us discomfort so we find something to eat. If we eat too much, it makes us uncomfortable so we stop eating. This is a homeostatic mechanism.

    The same concept applies to our psychological sensations. When you feel bored, you look for instant gratification, – how many have viewed my snap, my status, my tweet? How many likes? – when you aren’t sure of something, you Google it, when you’re learning and you feel “someway”, you pick up your phone. All these cater for uncomfortable sensations.

    All instinctive human behaviours is spurred to escape discomfort

    Daniel Good

    That’s why people avoid the difficult stuff. That’s why we lose enthusiasm to pursue our resolutions. That’s why we keep postponing the hard part. It’s uncomfortable, even though we know it brings about good results. It will shock you to know what you yourself are willing to do to avoid uncomfortable situations in your own life. Eg. poverty – marrying a rich guy you don’t even like, swearing to never repeat the mistakes of your predecessors, going for black magic, working harder than ever to reach where you thought was impossible.

    The root reason why we become distracted is because we feel internal triggers. Most distraction don’t start outside of us. It starts from within. When we become distracted, it’s simply because we are trying to escape an uncomfortable sensation. Know this and you will forever know how to create new habits and stay consistent. Most times, this uncomfortable sensation is boredom. You’ve been doing the same thing for a long time so your brain is asking you to switch it up.

    A study was done by Timothy Wilson where he put some people in a totally empty room one by one for hours with nothing but a button connected to a band on each individual’s arm. Each one was told beforehand that when one presses the button, it gives a painful electric shock. Guess what? 67% of men and 25% of women chose to inflict it on themselves rather than just sit there quietly and think. We are so uncomfortable doing nothing that we just want to feel something. This is by design! We periodically have an instinct to feel bored or uncomfortable to prod us to go do something.

    This is called the desire for more. It pushes human limitations and drives human ambitions. It is so much better to feel sad than to feel nothing. It is much better to attempt and fail rather than not try at all. It is better to be part of something bigger than ourselves than to lack purpose. It has been wired into our physiology. Therefore, to create better habits is NOT to not want, to not crave, to not desire. Attacking these sensations is attacking our fundamental instincts. The answer is to rather channel these internal triggers towards traction rather than distraction.

    This is so good it explains several things at the same time: boredom, distractions, habits, purpose, discomfort, zeal, procrastination, instincts. Let’s take our time on this one. It could go in diverse directions. Hope you’ve enjoyed this first part. Please do leave a comment about your experience of this.

    To be continued….

  • Self-Deception & Assumptions: How You Lie to Yourself without Realising

    Self-Deception & Assumptions: How You Lie to Yourself without Realising

    The brain was primarily designed to create, not store. Our thought stream is so amazing that we can think about and come up with assumptions on any random thing at any time at all. The speed of thought is so fast that I can travel to Jupiter and back in just 7 seconds. However, our brain has the power to focus our line of thinking. In order words, despite all the random thoughts, we choose which thought to pick and ponder on. Since our brain is not primarily for storing, we forget some thoughts as fast as we get them.

    See your stream of thoughts like search results. Our brain draws thoughts to our attention based on what we have previously fed it. Everything is mathematical in nature. Without self-consciousness, our brain picks data, derives meaning, makes analysis and draws potential conclusions without us even voicing it out. However, most of these “mathematical equations” in our brain don’t always draw the right conclusions.

    It’s like solving an MSQ math question, seeing our answer in the options and still getting it wrong. Our brain had all the needed data to put in but still produced a misconception. This is so dangerous to the extent that most of what we know to be true could just be lies assumed to be true. Let’s dive in.

    The first influences the rest

    One’s first thought concerning a particular and specific matter, aspect, facet, situation, field or even circumstance – be it truth or deceit – will affect the build-up of ideas that comes afterwards pertaining to that area. A foundation of truth is, therefore, essential. Building incorruptible on the corrupt results in deception. That is why it is very important to renew our minds in our new life in Christ.

    We don’t have the luxury of hitting the reset button for our minds. How you were brought up to perceive something and how you were conditioned to think about any particular thing will always influence your thoughts, opinions, ideas, concepts, philosophy and mindset. Since you initially didn’t know anything concerning let’s say thermodynamics, your very first knowledge of it is likely to become your absolute truth. You’ll swallow it hook, link and sinker.

    Any further knowledge you have about it will be believed only if it’s in line with prior knowledge or any already believed knowledge in another field. Speaking of the latter, let’s talk about our ability to believe something we know nothing about when it’s related well with something we already know;

    It is easy to agree with opinions in line with our thinking

    If you have no clue in a particular area of study, one can relate it with an area of study you are already conversant with so as to make you understand better. Thus, you now understand because it’s in line with your thinking. This is brilliant and dangerous at the same time. Transfer of knowledge is not always accurate. In many cases, it’s not.

    Having had the wrong conception as a foundation, any deception in line with it will easily be treated as truth. Any simple logic that may be true in a particular context can be transferred to fit into another unrelated context just to add up to our made-up fact. This is one concept of deception. Another concept is adding a pinch of lie to a wholemeal truth. When deception is built on a misconception that is already in line with one’s stream of thought, it is difficult to convince the person otherwise.

    Sometimes we don’t need a third party to deceive us. Our minds can draw its own conclusions and conceive lies based on truth. This is the concept of misconception. For instance, some whites think it’s the scorching sun that burnt our skin black. You’ll find some blacks who think this way. No one told them. It’s just their own theory they came up with based on the truth of skin burn, the hot sun around the equator and black skin. Their brain took the right equation and still came up with a misconception. Our skin actually produces melanin to protect us against the sun, not that the sun burnt it black.

    So how do we avoid making unnecessary assumptions that make us look paranoid when our weird assumptions turn out to be untrue?

    1. Ask

    Stop wasting energy that could be used for a productive thought process on an area where you can simply ask to confirm and affirm. If you don’t know, ask. You may realize that the issue is not in the direction of your assumptions at all. If it is, hallelujah. That leads me to my next point;

    2. Being right is not a trophy

    The reason why we may like assuming is that we find pleasure in being right. We have lots of theories and make baseless assumptions which could still come to pass due to the unpredictability of life. Okay, your assumptions were right. Now what? Should we carry you on our shoulders?

    3. Keep your assumptions to yourself

    Truth is, we can’t stop our brain from analyzing and coming up with possible explanations for issues we experience. We don’t even need to stop our brain. We need that drive, that curiosity. When there’s a problem, we need to come up with possible solutions. We need to make decisions based on predictions. So don’t stop assuming. It’s not something bad. Rather, keep most of your assumptions to yourself.

    This is a good read. I know you just read only the words in the pictures. Please go back to the top and read every word. You’ve probably heard this idea of cognitive biases before. I’ve articulated into words, so read and understand. This last paragraph is intentionally full of assumptions so you’d have a good laugh. Now where’s my “my assumptions were right” trophy? 😂

  • Stubborn For More: How to Channel your Energy to do Greater Things

    Our bodies were fashioned to protect us. Instinctively, all we do is towards survival. We eat, drink, sleep, walk, talk and go about our daily lives basically as a means of survival. However, there is little to no satisfaction in doing the usual stuff all the time. This is because we are more than our physiological makeup and deep within us, we want a challenge.

    The best of us never comes out without a challenge. Thus, we begin to desire greater things; greater things our brains register as a “threat” since it could ruin our survival. Our survival is our comfort zone and stepping out of our comfort zone is risky and a threat. Nonetheless, we are excited to push beyond our limits when we actually do. The more risk we take, the more excited we become.

    For instance, our fear of falling may not allow us to jump off a moving plane. When we finally do, there’s nothing compared to that kind of excitement. However, in a light of taking good risks, some of us will never jump off that plane. Never! The question now becomes, how do you break free from your comfort zone and survival mode and jump head-on into the unknown?

    Persistence is key


    Water has a very high surface tension. This is why some insects with low body mass can settle on the surface of water. In fact, that explains why some objects float on water. As humans, we can float on water if we relax our body mass on the water body. Our legs would hang and our arms would shield, keeping our torso afloat. Nonetheless, with a slight persistent application of pressure on the water body, we could swim deeper. The happy and sad part about persistence is that it is more difficult at the beginning. Good riddance. This means the beginning is the more difficult part. It also means when you become persistent in an area you shouldn’t – like drinking alcohol – since you have broken the “surface tension”, it become easier the next time to “dive deeper”. Persistence comes in two folds and that leads me to the next issue;

    Consistency over Intensity

    Consistency and Intensity are important ingredients in their own rights. As humans, we soon realize that there is no such thing as inconsistency. You’re either consistent or consistently inconsistent. Since you get to choose your pattern of consistency, why not stick to the ideal? Before you can be consistent for real, you need to understand how it doesn’t relate to intensity. Many of what we practice as consistency is intensity in disguise. Consistency is doing great things in little ways. Intensity is doing little things in great ways.

    Consistency is about the long-term. Intensity is about the short-term. No one can be consistently intensive without being intensively consistent from the start. It’s not brushing your teeth for 2 hours non-stop that will make a difference. It’s brushing it for just 2 minutes twice for about 2 years. If you focus on intensity as a beginner, you’ll break down even before the real journey begins. Long-term consistency will always triumph short-term intensity. Sadly, in the world of quick fix, consistency looks like a thing for losers.

    Just remind yourself that short-term intensity does not equal long-term results. If you get injured, if you burn out, or if you stop, all the progress up to that point does little good. The LONG-TERM success is what you’re after. Consistency is the vehicle that will help you achieve those long-term results.

    The “No Matter What” mindset

    If you’ve been around for long, you’d realize that there is always something. Something always comes up. Ironically, we think we don’t have time to do the things we deem important to us. Yet we all know that if something is important to you, you’ll make time for it. We wait forever for the right time to start when the actual reason we’ve not started is because what we want to do is really not a priority to us. On paper, it’s a priority. In practice, nothing shows that it is.

    There is a need to make firm decisions. Making decisions is the easy part. Standing by the decisions you made is the main deal. Are you going to make the main thing the main thing? Are you going to stick to plan when irrelevant matters arise? Trust me, almost everyone knows the right thing to do. Those who make the difference are those who take action and stick to it till it bears fruit.

    All things are difficult before they become easy. We get better with time. It doesn’t change the fact that it gets hard sometimes. If only you can be stubborn. Be unrelenting. Not intensely. You may break down. Practice makes perfect. Consistently, every dream becomes a reality. Are you going to keep on keeping on no matter what?

  • Reach for Greatness: Unbecoming an Epitome of a Mediocre Lifestyle

    Has anyone ever spoken ill of you? Have you ever been cornered and criticized unfairly? The person or group of people will gather around and spew hurtful words on you and it hits you like a tornado. It dampens your mood and you feel so low and really irritated. And if what they are saying is not even true, it is even more hurtful. As if spears came out of their mouths and pierced right into your heart.

    We may never talk to such people again and definitely won’t be as close to them as we used to be. If such a group happens to be your family, your self-esteem becomes so low and resentment builds up within you. Though eventually you’ll be fine, it doesn’t take away the fact that it hurt you deeply and left you bitter. That is not even the most interesting aspect yet. This is it; do you know we do this to yourselves every now and then?

    We beat ourselves up internally. We are so hard on ourselves for literally insignificant things. We dampen our mood and leave ourselves helpless while convincing ourselves that we deserve this mental and emotional self-punishment. We are so “over-aware” of our flaws and mishaps. Our shortcomings and failures never leave any self-analysis we make. Though people are not right to do it to us, it is meaningless that we think we deserve it when we do it to ourselves. Thus, our egos keep on increasing while our self-esteem drops like food in the oesophagus.

    What are you beating yourself up for? You must be hard on yourself for important things, yes, but do you need to be so hard on yourself for the same damn thing for so long? We speak 150-300 per minute to ourselves everyday. It is called self-talk. That is about 50,000 words a day. 70% of our self-talk is subconscious, and about 70% of everything we say to ourselves is negative. 95% of what we say is repeated most of the time. Just imagine how you keep telling yourself in your mind all the time that you’re not good enough.

    Why are you always speaking low about yourself? You know everyone’s strengths and strongholds but do you even consider yours? You’re always putting yourself in a constant state of “not measuring up” that you don’t even feel as fulfilled when you live up to your expectations. Yes, you don’t need to lower your standards. That will gradually lead you to another form of mediocrity. Rather, use the energy you would have used to condemn yourself for not reaching your targets to push yourself up harder the next time.

    Don’t take life too seriously. Even movie monsters have a good laugh sometimes. You’re not wasting your life when you take a long break. Life is not about crossing all the T’s and dotting the I’s. It is more about having people around you who want to see you win and are there to celebrate you when you do. If you want to reach out for greatness, stop limiting yourself in your own mind. Stop speaking ill of yourself. “As for me, I’m not that good o, it is so-and-so that is good.” Your self-talk is always about what you can’t do, how you’re not that good, and why you can’t do it. False humility is true pride.

    You’re amazing. Your nose shape is beautiful, trust me. You have such a lovely voice. You have the courage to be a public speaker. You’re good enough. You’re strong. You’re wise. You’re decisive. You’re loved. You’re cherished. You’re capable. Nevertheless, always remember this: Until you believe it about yourself, you’ll never believe anyone who tells you no matter how many times they tell you.

    How do you see yourself? 🤔

  • Dare to Dream Again: Being an Instrument for Generational Greatness

    Growing up, Alice was an epitome of a “dare to dream” persona. She wanted to try everything, be everything she could be and basically be great. Alice wanted to sing with the angels when she heard the church choir on a Sunday morning. She wanted to be an architect when she observed the Art Nouveau of building façades that evoked feelings of awe and beauty. Alice even wanted to be a philanthropist so she could help the needy in society. She never understood why people blinded their eyes to beggars on the streets.

    Nothing hindered her dreams. She wanted to be so great. She dreamed freely and fully, but as she grew her reality of the world began to fade. Her reality wasn’t all flowery and colourful, it was full of dreads and limitations. With time, she had lost her sense of positive imagination. She never dared to dream anymore. It was never the right time to make a life-changing decision. She never lost sight of any obstacle, any hindrance, any existing problem that blocked an open door in her life.

    Alice now saw people who were positive as childish, ignorant and blind-sighted. She believed that it was more matured to consider both sides in every situation but the negativity bias of the human mind made her weigh the possible negative outcomes more without realizing. Motivational speakers were unrealistic to her and even absurd most of the time.


    With time, she no longer believed in the supernatural or the miraculous. Too logical and “metrics-minded” to play the card of luck or grace. Until she walked herself into a quarter-life crisis. Now she desperately needed something life-changing. Eager but too depressed to take action. She knew all the decisions to make but lacked the drive. She was drained. Consistently. She now doesn’t see herself as a “generational-anything”.

    You may not realize but perhaps, you may be living life like Alice did and walking right into Alice’s pit. What is your excuse? You see all those logical meaningful reasons you make up when someone pictures you as the greatest there will ever be? They are excuses. Nothing but excuses. People who changed history greatly were “normal” people, like you and me. So what is your excuse?

    You don’t need to be “special” to be great but it does take something special to realize you’re great: the audacity to dream in spite of the current realities

    Daniel Good

    To become great, realize you’re great. You’re born great. Greatness is within you. Greatness is not a mountain to be climbed or a medal to be won. Before great people climbed that mountain, won that race or left a legacy, they already believed they were great. Not everyone who believes in themselves becomes great but there’s no one who became great without believing in themselves. Therefore, greatness is not an attainment. It’s self-actualization.

    Sometimes as older people, we kill the dreams of younger people. We don’t want them to be too hopeful or keep their hopes high. They want to be the greatest there has ever been. Instead of riding on their hopes to aim high ourselves, we cloud their mindset with our negativity-bias reality. Just because we’ve seen more of how the world works doesn’t mean we’re right to do that. Do you even believe that “nothing is impossible” anymore?


    Do you want to dare yourself to dream like a child again? In the last days, the Bible says that old men will dream dreams. Maybe that’s you. Your mindset is “old”. Your way of going about things is “old”. You’re still stuck in the past of how things work and how things are supposed to be. Lack of initiative, no innovation but it’s not too late for you. It is time to blow your mind. Bombard your mindset with impossibilities made possible. There and then will see the spark of greatness ignite in you.

    I love you ❤️

  • Who Am I? Am I Who I Really Am or Who I Think I Am?

    Who am I? Who are you? What are you? Do you know?

    The bride gracefully walked down the aisle in absolute eloquence. There were tears in his eyes as he stole glances at his bride. He couldn’t believe that this day would ever come. Now it’s here. At the altar, they stared into each other’s eyes. They were so much in love: Everything felt so surreal. Nothing could possibly go wrong. It was an atmosphere of ecstatic love. Everyone could see two people getting married but in reality, they were six. Who the bridegroom is, who the bridegroom thinks he is, who the bride thinks the bridegroom is, who the bride is, who the bride thinks she is and who the bridegroom thinks she is.

    Who are you? No, I’m not asking of your name. Who are you? No, I’m not asking of your position. Who are you? No, I didn’t ask what your nationality was. Who are you? No, I didn’t ask what species you belong to. Who are you? No, I didn’t ask what your beliefs are. So you see? “Who am I?” is a question you should be in no hurry to answer. It’s a question that should leave you in deep thought.

    This is the reality of life. If who you are met who you think you are, the two wouldn’t recognize each other. Who others think you are is a different ballgame altogether. We know for sure that who others think we are is obviously different from who we are. But it will shock you to know that who you are is not even who you think you are. It takes a lifetime to fully discover who we really are. At a particular time where you think you’ve actually figured out who you are, you are going to do something that will shock you. It will shake the foundations of the built-up image you have of yourself. Then you’ll question yourself subconsciously for the one-millionth time, “so who am I?”

    Who you are is equally as important as who you think you are. If you know how the universe works, you’ll understand that you’re already who you are. Everything that makes you who you are meant to be is already inside you. Do you understand? Just like the I Am, you are. You Are Who You Are. Who you are is not in the future or in the past. It is yesterday, today and forever.

    Moreover, You Are also Who You Are Not. It is equally important. Not just in the sense that you’re not a liar, thief or murderer. Come to the understanding that you cannot be everything. Some things are just not meant for you. You can only be great in your lane. If you don’t find your lane, you can really struggle. As a matter of fact, Albert Einstein said it better, “Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid”.

    So if who I am never changes like the “I Am That I Am”, why am I different from who I was in the past? It’s because we live from who we think are, not who we are. That is why who we think we are is equally as important as who we are. It is who you think you are that keeps changing. If you think you’re a failure just because you failed a couple of times, don’t be surprised if you live the life of a failure. The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.

    Your goal is to make sure that “who you think you are” is as close to “who you really are” as much as possible. I’m not saying be narcissistic and overlook toxic areas of your life. Do not see yourself bigger than you really are. Rather see yourself become bigger than who you think you are. After all, who you think you are and who you really are will never be the same. We all have blind spots. Some aspects of our lives can be hidden from us for a very long time.

    This is one of the major reasons why people continue to live in the past; they’ve not been able to figure out their reactions and triggers. It’s like we can only understand ourselves when we look back. Our mind uses the past to understand the future. It looks like it’s the only way to understand yourself. Yet, it also means who you think you are is not up-to-date. It’s always stuck in the past. You are who you are right now.

    Even so, today I want you to sit down and write 25 sentences about what you think about yourself. Choose 5 people close to you who give you honest feedback and ask them to tell you 5 different ways of how you’re like. Compare it to who you think you are and see if you’re on the same page. This will give you a fair idea of how you portray yourself and how others perceive you. In addition, you can also ask them how you ought to be from their point of view. Sometimes we limit ourselves as a form of humility when it’s actually pride. Honest feedback can remove blind spots and break down those walls.

    How you live your life is not shaped by who you are, it is shaped by who you think you are. Embrace it and use it to your advantage.

    I love you ❤️

  • Nocebo Effect: What Is Your Brain Looking Forward To?

    We’ve known times without number how powerful the brain is. Sometimes we can trick our brains to do the seemingly impossible. Other times, our brain tricks us that the situation is seemingly impossible. Placebo and Nocebo effects are no different. Hope you’ve heard of Placebo before; A patient swallows a sugar pill that lacks active medicine and yet pain falls away, nausea recedes, mood lifts. It was first experimented by John Haygarth, a British physician, in 1799. God knows how many years the pharmaceutic industry has made money from this. Since you have heard a lot about Placebo, let’s delve more into Nocebo. How is it applicable in our everyday lives?

    Nocebo is on the other side of the extreme; it is when the placebo makes you feel worse. So, basically, a doctor gives you a sugar pill and tells you there will be side effects; every time you take the medicine, you will feel dizzy, nausea and a little migraine. Though the drug has no medical effect, you will still anticipate and experience the side effects for real. Have you ever felt sick and then googled it before? What happens after you know all the symptoms you are supposed to have and how deadly the disease is?

    Sometimes what we know causes us to worry, be anxious and fear. This is why we say ignorance is bliss. Not that being ignorant is a good thing, but sometimes not knowing how painful or distressing something is, makes us more positive to face it upfront. The word “melancholy” relates to both intelligence and sadness. When you know a lot, it can easily make you sad. You simply look all around and all you see is people living in bondage without knowing they could be free. It’s simply heartbreaking to see people choose folly, stupidity and mediocrity time and again. As if they have been programmed to be that stupid.

    Sometimes what we know can stop us from experiencing what we don’t know, even if it may be a good experience. Our brain is super excellent at relating seemingly unrelated things together. Like when someone who promised to text you forgets and it reminds you of when your teacher in Primary 4 promised to reward you for your outstanding performance but didn’t. It was the beginning of you not trusting people too much anymore. This Nocebo effect cautions us from experiencing something tremendous in our lives just because we remember a similar situation in the past where we failed or were disappointed.

    Our brain not only picks the cue from only our experiences but from other people’s experiences we know of as well. Perhaps, the reason why certain unnecessarily weird circumstances keep coming our way is that we keep “hoping” for it to happen. Just because it happened to your mother; it’s a thing in your family; it happened to the only one who was courageous enough to try; it happened to someone you feel you are a really like; doesn’t mean it will happen to you. Until you get it out of your subconscious mind and stop anticipating its manifestation, it is more likely to happen. It is unnecessary to know everything that can go wrong if you don’t care to know what could go right. You don’t want sound mental health?

    nocebo effect exists but placebo your way through

    So I entrust you to look for the good things in life; look for the good in people you relate to and hope that they manifest in your life as well. We all know that there are bad times and tough seasons in life but please; don’t carry that burden in your subconscious mind and be anticipating weird negative scenarios. You are not a hero for predicting doom accurately. Rather anticipate you coming out of the difficult times stronger and better. Let your hopes be good.

    I love you

  • Reality vs Existence

    There is a difference between what it is and how we see it. What it is is purely its existence. Our perception of it is our reality. For instance, Greece is a place. It is what it is. Yet, our perception of Greece really differ. To some, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world. To others, it’s actually a very racist country. So many factors come into play to shape our reality of the place. One is our very own experiences, another is other people’s experiences. In fact, we could both have the same experience and still have different perceptions. That’s because we get to choose our own reality.

    One understanding of existence is it being an objective reality. This means it is not a figment of our imagination or perception. In fact, given the same circumstances, everyone would testify to the same reality. I’ve never come across anyone on planet earth with a sound mind you thinks trees don’t exist.  Existence needs perception but it just doesn’t rely on perception as its evidence. Let me explain. If a tree falls flat in the middle of a forest and there was no animal to hear the sound, the sound was never perceived because the sound was never heard. Did the tree fall? Yes! It is what it is. Thus, the fact that it’s not part of your reality or the fact that you cannot perceive something does not mean it doesn’t exist. 

    With reality – in this context, I’m talking about subjective reality – we get to choose what is real to us and what is not. Thus, something can exist outside of our reality. In fact, so many things do. Oxygen was discovered in 1772 by Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Before then, humans still breathed in oxygen. It existed – it always has – but it just wasn’t part of man’s reality.  We can choose to believe ghosts don’t exist and have a good life without having to worry about them. We can also imagine they exist, but it will be part of only our reality, not everyone else’s. Ghosts can actually exist, don’t get me wrong. The truth is, when you shut something out of your reality, it continues to exist and does everything it does to exist. However, you will lack the ability to perceive it because it is not part of your reality. 

    Our mind is a very powerful tool. Inasmuch as we get to create our own customized realities, we don’t have the ability to determine what exists or what does not. Our mind does not possess the power to create existence. Our minds are powerful enough to create a reality of its own but not powerful enough to imagine something directly into existence. We cannot merely think any physical substance into existence. No! You can’t create a flat tummy with your mind. You have to put in the work to achieve the result. A good mindset is a good start and keeps you going but on its own, it’s just wishful thinking. 

    Imagination and our subjective reality is a good starting point to see yourself do the impossible. It can help you trick your mind into believing that you are limitless. But after all the chemical reactions in your body are done, you would have to face the objective reality. So don’t abuse the mindset issue. You can achieve anything you put your mind to, but if you don’t do anything about the situation, what exists will still continue to exist. It all starts from a good and positive mindset, but trust me it doesn’t end anywhere there. Nonetheless, create a good reality. It’s one of the few things in life you have control over.