Positive Thinking;the spice of Life

When life gives you lemons; make lemonade. That is the cliché allegory that we subscribe to when we are at our ultimate lowest moment(s). When we hit the proverbial rock bottom our whole worldview changes and our mind’s prism makes us view things differently. We then wish that if we somehow could have handled a situation (s) a bit cautiously then perhaps our status quo would be relatively different.See,that is the thing about life, one moment of self doubt can yield good tidings or disaster. The quality of our lives is dictated by that short pause. The ‘what if’ factor more often than not determines our next course of action.

 The human mind is a very powerful organ. What we feed it is in turn ‘digested’ and translated into actions.Life is all about choices; good ones and bad ones.If we invest in positive thoughts naturally we churn out positive actions. In the same breathe, if we invest in negative thoughts our choices and our actions are similarly reflective. Many a times I hear people talk of “life is so unfair to me!”.Indeed this is not further from the truth; life is unfair..heck..Life will never be fair.We live in a competitive world where the playing field is never level; to think of it otherwise would be non-nonsensically callous; yet we choose most often than not to get stuck in that idealistic realm where we expect all of us to be equals. Forget the cliché; Life will Never be fair!Think about it; how many people out of the ones you went to school with are doctors,lawyers,engineers and pilots just to mention but a few favored professions? Your answer is as good as mine; not all!Yet,in our childhood play-times we built castles in the air living in such dreamy professions. Our parent probably drilled us into taking up courses tailor-made for these as they also built their own castles at the prospect of being called “Baba(Mama) ..Engineer,Daktari,Professor,Pilot “..

 The reality of life is that these pilots,engineers,lawyers and doctors need the mama mbogas,watchmen,shoe cleaner, newspaper vendor,drivers,electrician just to mention but a few. This competitive edge is the rainbow of life. We need to learn as human beings to embrace it. When we focus on our individuality rather than our commonality, that is where we find our unfair advantage.
Sometimes we preoccupy our minds with comparing what we have versus what other people have or own. Most often than not we literally put our world on hold as we salivate at the prospect of being in their shoes. We forget the value of life and our existence in this world. As we wallow in self pity and how unfair the world is to us, we forget that there is more to life than materialism.

That person you see driving a car, have you ever paused to consider that maybe they are servicing a large bank loan with a steep interest rate for that car your are envying and their pay slip can barely make ends meet? Do you consider that they can barely pay house rent or their children’s school fees and upkeep without shuffling in between borrowing from friends and shy locks to maintain that social status that you so admire. Do you consider that they can barely maintain the car insurance, service or even fuel? On top of that have you considered that they have to deal with a nagging wife or a philandering husband who deprives them of peace of mind as they sit in traffic? As you stride on the side walk to board a matatu at your nearest stage, you tend to forget that God has given you the most precious gifts; life, health and peace of mind. You can afford to pay rent and maintain your family; you can afford quality education for your wife and kid|(s),they have food and a roof over their heads. Your marriage is blessed and you have a decent job or a source of income to live a comfortable life. Yet you choose to rattle your every being by salivating over what you do not have? May God forgive your soul for your ungratefulness.

Bottom line, every dog has its own day.Like an indelible pen etch a mental picture of yourself succeeding against all odds thrown your way. Guard this picture tenaciously and never let it fade. You will be surprised with what your mind will do; it will seek to develop the picture so long as you cease to build obstacles in your way.Be content with what God has given you. Our Father in Heaven is loving and gracious. He cannot give you a load that He knows you cannot bear. He will provide your every need because His granaries are full, His riches are limitless and when He decides to open that flood gates of blessing, He does not second guess.Therefore,get up from yourself pity, lift your head up, toughen your chin and face each situation positively. Enjoy the quality of life, it is beautiful and grande. Happy and Blessed New Year!

The Scribe rests his pen.