Remember a time when you felt the whole world crushed on you? Like a seemingly impossible problem just landed on your peaceful island and then boom! your work and relationships are in topsy-turvey, your health starts to decline and feelings of isolation and desperation are suddenly lurking.
No human being is an exemption to this and usually when we are in a state of distress, our initial reaction is, “I want an escape”. Our go-to places would be the beach, mountains, lakes, under a tree, go camping, bars, go partying and the list goes on. We wanted that “escape” so badly thinking this will help find a solution. The farther we go, the better.
While sitting on the sand and listening to the waves can calm us, or perhaps a vacation in Bali, for those who can afford last minute trips, can help us forget our turmoils, after this so-called quick adventure is over, we will still go back to our old lives, to that painful reality. Going places isn’t really the solution. Going “within” is the real and most effective solution.
Lao Tzu said it beautifully, “Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power”.
Self-mastery. It is the be-all and end-all of life.
The road to self-mastery begins with self-awareness. Self-awareness is having an insightful understanding of your personality, values, tendencies, and beliefs. It is the process of analyzing your thoughts, beliefs, actions, and emotions to help you determine your values and principles. The more you understand yourself, the more control you will have over yourself and your life. (www.destinysodyssey.com)
Once you have mastered yourself, you will have the ability to control your life in whatever circumstances you are in. Mastering your own thoughts, words, actions, and emotions can help you navigate life smoothly and easily. When confronted with challenges and difficult people, you will not succumb to emotional outbursts. Instead, you will be able to approach things logically, calmly and with clarity.
One of the roadblocks to inner peace is constant anxiety. Anxiety usually comes with so much thought about the future, the one thing we don’t have control over. Humans are crippled by fear of the unknown and the only way to deal with it is studying and taking control on what is known to you: YOURSELF. Mastering yourself brings clarity in your life and you begin to understand the things that truly matter to you. You have built an inner empire of fortitude, resilience and stability. It is like taking a midterm exam, you have studied from cover to cover, familiarised the topics by heart. You don’t know what type of questions will come out on your exam but you don’t panic because you have prepared for this and mastered the subject. It‘s the same thing in the school of life. When you know yourself better, there is no overthinking about what lies ahead because you now have confidence in your strength and control over your emotions. Regardless of what is going on “outside”, you remain intact and unshaken “inside”.
Self-mastery is true wisdom and power.
(Photo on top is my son, Gibb, in the summer of 2020)