Nabila Nali – Tangier
I have news for you. Nobody that has ever changed the world really knew exactly how they would do it when they started. So, yes it can be just as simple as that. Strike that T out of can’t and embrace the possibility of a can-do attitude! You will develop what it takes to look deeply at yourself and your personality; you will find the tenacity and strength that god instilled in you in order to overcome life’s difficulties.
God knows how challenging life is and gives us the tools to overcome and keep going, but it is up to you to tap into that strength and possibility. In fact, you are tougher than you think if you have not yet exercised your spiritual “muscles.” Naturally, without use, they grow soft like any muscle. It is only through diligence, perseverance, and discipline that you can reignite and strengthen these spiritual tools that are the keys to a fulfilling life. At the heart of this life is seeing the beauty of possibility.
How often do you say “I can’t” when it’s, at best, a half-truth? Maybe you really think that you can’t draw – but could this be because you have never actually tried? And if you can’t get organized, or quit smoking, or lose weight … do you really think this is because you can’t or rather that you won’t?
It’s the same with all those things that you can’t do today. They might seem big and challenging – almost impossible – task to do right now, but the thought of doing it is much worse than actually doing it. Plenty of other people have tackled and conquered the same things (and they started out from just where you are right now).
You must learn how to control your mental capacities. Dominate your mind and don’t let your mind dominate you. In other words, don’t let anxiety, worry, and negative thoughts bring you down. Learn to control your mind in order to cultivate positive, self-affirming thoughts. I know this sounds easier said than done, and I will be the first to admit that, but you have to be brave and have faith. The mind is a powerful tool, and you can make it work in your favor.
So what is the solution? Reverse the mental image, this will of course require a considerable exercise in reeducating yourself. This will not be easy, but neither is it impossible. The process begins with realizing that your thinking should be changed. Changing your mental habits is a difficult feat because it implies a restructuring of long held beliefs. It means that the pessimism so ingrained in your consciousness will protest this strong positive mental reorientation.
However, if you are weak and defeatist, it is due in large part to the fact that your mind has actually lied to you for years about your real abilities. This is what causes you to fail, and this is why you must stand up to your mind, take control, and tell yourself, with conviction, that ”I have a powerful new thought, a vital faith and hope in god and myself, and I intend to ride it to success and happiness and you–you old negative and defeated thought pattern–you will not control me anymore!” From now on I will take control of my thoughts and my life by reeducating my mind to disregard self-loathing and doubt. I will instead embrace belief and self-confidence. I will embrace the beauty of possibility and my abilities.
Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be, raise your sights and see the possibilities, for they are always there. After all, as authors like Vivian Greene often remind us in a slew of poetic proverbial sagacity, life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it is about learning how to dance in the rain.
Photo by Yassine Abouyaala
Edited by Anna Jacobs