What's on your mind??

A few months ago I was taking a walk with my daughter around the block and we saw this man walking his dog. Or maybe the dog was walking him, because there was no leash on the damn animal. For the record, I like dogs...some dogs...a few dogs, but this big ass dog was skipping around, untethered to his owner. And there's me and my humongous belly filled to the brim with one child, another child stuck to my arm - IN THE WILD like freaking Tarzan.

My first thought was, 'if this dog runs at us and tries to jump us, what would I do? What could I do? Absolutely nothing. Probably beg. "Bingo please now."

You know how you imagine crazy scenarios in your head - like if someone tried to shoot you, you would somehow dodge the bullet and somehow get them in a chokehold (despite your lack of kung fu training), and you would somehow get the gun and somehow get them to surrender? Or like if a dog tried to attack you, you would do a back flip and kick it in the face (despite never having done a backflip in your life) and make it bark for its life? Who's the dog now beech!

On this no-longer-fine evening, I couldn't imagine any scenarios where I would be able to protect my children from the beast. I couldn't run. I could barely walk. So I panicked. I started to walk a little faster. How much faster can you even walk when you're eight months pregnant? Not much faster, I'll tell you that, but I did my best. Happy to report that there was no attack.

It's funny how the mind works. I dare say we do most of our living there. The things we imagine having, but never get. The things we imagine doing, but never do. The love we fantasize about, but never feel. The things we're afraid of that never happen. Yet, we experience them in our minds everyday. Sometimes, over and over again. The mind is a big, powerful place. A place where we build or break ourselves privately, before we have to do it out loud. The bible says "Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life." It also says "As he thinks in his heart, so is he".

Apparently, this mind place is not one to be handled trivially. All the things we become, the things we're capable of, the things we say, the things we believe and the things we're afraid of accomplishing, begin in our minds. Our mind is like soil. Whatever we let into it is seed.

For instance, if you listen to a podcast everyday that tells you that you're extraordinary, chances are that you'll feel good about yourself constantly. On the other hand, if you live in a house with someone that tells you everyday that you're useless and nobody likes you, chances are that you'll feel bad about yourself. You hear either of these things long enough, you might even start to believe it.

This works both externally and internally. I remember once I used to be tired all the time. And anytime someone asked me how I was, I would say “I’m tired”. It eventually occurred to me that it might be working the other way around and that I was tired all the time, because I was saying I was tired all the time. So I stopped, and poof! I was no longer tired all the time.

Jesus said in Matthew 15:11 “It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”

What a flabbergast.

The things you expose yourself to become blocks that you use to build the image of yourself in your mind, and that self is what you reflect to the world. That self becomes who you are - until the mind blocks change and you become something else. It's not static. It's fluid. That's why bad people can become good and good people, bad.

Your mind is either your strongest weapon or your biggest opp. Sometimes you can't control what your mind is exposed to, but a lot of the time, you can. What are you watching and listening to? Who are your friends? What are you binging on social media? Who are you talking to? What are they saying to you? Most importantly, what are you saying to yourself? It adds up.

So as much as you can, get the good juice. Feed your mind with the good seed. You won't always get to decide what you're exposed to, but when you can, choose well. Even if you're stronger than most, your mind is still not impenetrable. Find the things and people that bring you joy. Run from the ones that steal your joy and peace. And if you don't succeed today, try again tomorrow.

PS: The father of my children dropped a Deluxe for his phenomenal album, FUJI. He put me on one of the songs, because talent cannot waste 🤭 … Song is called #BlueFire. It's a beauty and you should give it a listen ⬇️

🔊 FUJI EXTRA

SK