Podcast your life to greatness

Just days ago, it was George Michael and now this morning I hear 2016 took another one, Carrie Fischer. She played the dazzling Princess Leia in George Lucas’ Star Wars series. Just last week, I found it eerie when an acquaintance of mine pointed out how many lives 2016 is take with it before coming to an end.

Prince, Arnold Palmer, Gene Wilder, Anton Yelchin, Kimbo SLice, Muhammad Ali, Papa Wemba, Phife Dawg, Alan Rickman and the list goes on, highlighting just how much shine we have lost this year. As such, this gives us reason to appreciate the impact they have had on our lives. More importantly, we should view their passing not as a loss but as a lesson in life on how far we as human beings can go by putting in that smart work while maintaining the right mindset.

As the year draws to an end, we all get a chance to reflect on how much of our goals we have met, surpassed and for some, failed to strike of the list. Podcasts this year were my greatest find, with the likes of Tim Ferris drumming life-hacks into my ears while making the daily work commute or grinding the pavement on my cycling route. Listening to these masters of productivity really helped me maintain a positive mindset, the laws of the universe.

In my pursuit of happiness I came to the conclusion that New Year resolutions are just overrated. In the first place, the human being is more complex than an electric switch. This explains the norm why most of us deviate from our ‘new year resolutions’ weeks after December 31st. Like I said, we aren’t machines with switches and knobs that control our actions. Instead, we should adopt more pragmatic goal setting techniques using both long term and short term milestones. This allows for constant re-assessment.

Even more important is the habit of maintaining a positive mindset. Just like prayer, meditation and blessings, the universe does listen to our thoughts. I reckon we have all had that moment when something completely beyond our reach just happens to land on our laps. This phenomenon has been explained in various ways, ‘the power of the universe’, ‘law of attraction’ or ‘the secret’, these all explain the power of maintaining a positive mindset.

Central to all this is confidence. Con-men reek of this hence, they pull off confidence tricks to get people to part with their money or property, be that the case. Regardless of your disposition, never throw your self-worth out of the window. Do whatever it takes (murder not inclusive) to stoke that fire in your belly and straighten that back. Give yourself pep talks at the mirror if you have to. Always remember that you are worth a lot and likewise capable. You are an achiever. Now find the nearest mirror, tell yourself some nice things, set those goals and start ticking items of that list way before the happy New Year celebration.

 
MOHAMMED JOSE