THIS THING ABOUT FAITH
Today I sent out a mail that could redefine my career as a writer. This is me stepping up in faith and confidence in my skill as a writer. The mail is unsolicited, but I sent it anyway, for I have come to know that whatever you want in this life, you don’t wait for it, you step out in faith and go for it.
It takes much mental shift for me to get here. One of them is that I understand I don’t have to wait for clear weather before I sow my seeds.
‘He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.’ — Ecclesiastes 11:4
One thing that stops many of us from achieving what we what to achieve is that we want to wait for everything to fall into place. We want to perfect that skill first, save up that money first, gather all the information first before we step into that venture. This sometimes hinders us. At the end of the day, we don’t get to do that thing at all. Or if we eventually do, we do it late.
I’m not saying we should hurry into things. No. There are times we have to gather adequate information before setting forth — say, before investing. But there are certain things that we might need to learn on the way.
I’m still learning this myself. There are certain areas of my life that I’m still being held down by fear and, like many of us, the fear is rational. But I’m taking baby steps in this thing called faith.
Another thing that held us back is the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves. A lot of us convince ourselves that we are not good enough, talented enough for things we ought to do. And yet, while talent and skills are essential in life, the people bossing at the top are not just talented people, they are people who are confident enough to step up and do what they have to do regardless of their level of talent or skill.
Of course, there are other dynamics — like time and chance, like being at the right place at the right time, but often, what it takes is confidence.
One activity that I’ve found helpful over time is creating mental projection, where I create a vivid mental picture of what I want and where I’d like to be.
Most of the spaces I occupy now, I see them first in my mind, tell myself how I’m qualified for it and that I’m going to get it. I don’t stop there, I imagine myself in that space as if it is my lived reality already.
To create a mental picture, though, you have to be confident in yourself, create a positive posture in your mind, and speak positivity over yourself.
The mind is the theatre where our realities are created. So I am mindful of the kind of thoughts and pictures I allow in my mind. I consciously create possibilities in my mind, the life I want.
I’m at this stage in my life where I know I’m the one stopping myself. How I turn out in the next five years is a result of the decisions I made, the kind of steps I take, how confident I am in myself and how well I prepare and position myself for opportunities.
This reality that I’m solely responsible for myself and how I turn out is scary, but it makes me deliberate in taking proactive, faith-filled steps.
In all, the superstructure upon which all these are founded is wisdom. Faith without wisdom, self-confidence without wisdom, talent and skill without wisdom is a disaster waiting to happen.
