MAN’S GREATEST PROBLEM
By: Chike G. Onyia, Esq.
I have discovered man’s greatest problem!!!! This discovery has taken me many years!!! However, thank God I found it. Part of my life’s goal is to share it with others!!!
Here it is:
Man’s greatest problem is his thoughts!!!!! In other words, the way a man thinks shapes his world and brings him success, mediocrity or outright, failure!!
Let me repeat: Man’s greatest problem is his thoughts.
How come no one ever taught us how to think? There is a concept called “META-COGNITION” - which means “thinking about your thoughts.” We should have taken a course on Meta-Cognition in school. Little wonder many people are conformists and not “independent thinkers.” This inability to think has ruined people’s lives and made many others subjects of the “herd” mentality.
Many people think that their thoughts should determine and control their destines. They suffer from helplessness with respect to their thoughts. In his book, “Learned Optimism,” the father of Positive Psychology and the former President of the American Psychology Association, Martin Seligman describes the concept of “Learned Helplessness.” My understanding from his book is that sometimes, people get to a place in their lives where they believe that they can do nothing to help themselves.
I have discovered from reading many books, many years of research and personal experience that I can help myself by taking charge of what I “think” and using my cognitive and emotional intelligence to regulate and manage my thoughts.
For example, I have learnt to challenge my thoughts using factual evidence. If I think of something and there is evidence to the contrary, then I must do away with those thoughts since they would be considered “untrue.”
However, even if I think about something that is based on concrete facts and my thoughts are negative, I can reinterpret the facts and shift my paradigm to a more positive place.
Consider this man who has greatly inspired me - though he is no longer alive. Nelson Mandela was in prison for twenty seven years!!! Imagine what he must have been thinking during the time he was locked up. His thoughts would have been based on facts! He was locked up!!!! However, he survived, came out and rose to the highest office in his country as the first black president. Obviously, he was a great and deep thinker.
Let me tell you the secret!!! Learn to challenge your thoughts. Do not be a conformist. Do not let the society or culture tell you what to think. Be an independent thinker. Create your own path in life and follow it. Do not have the bandwagon mentality of “follow the follower.” Those people you are trying to follow are also followers!!!
I heard Earl Nightingale say that only 5% of people are truly successful. Majority - 95%, never truly achieve success. Very sad!!!! Mr. Nightingale attributed this huge failure of mankind to an inability to think independent of the masses and a failure to set a personal goal and pursue it.
Let’s become thinkers!!!!
Please Share!!!
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5yI can't agree with you less.
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5yAwesome. Very educative and insightful article. Kudos sir.
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5yThis is just so amazing, deep and is nothing else but Light !!! Thanks for the piece Sir.