“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It’s just that the translations have gone wrong.” – John Lennon
There is a lot of good that comes with religion – from the laid down beliefs and morals which give us a sense of purpose and direction in life, down to the community and systems in place that provide support religion can serve critical roles in our lives. However, religion is prone to becoming harmful – to the point of traumatising its members.
The popular advice is to be unique and stand out. But, the truth is, it’s okay to follow the crowd in the beginning. In fact, it’s necessary. You can’t be unique if you don’t learn the rudiments and master your craft. And you can’t do that outside the crowd.
Our minds are built to focus on problems – the excess salt, negative comment, and bad news. This is not a bad thing, as it helps us tackle the problems in our lives. But being fixated on the negative leads to unhappiness.
Without intentionally refocusing our minds on the sunny side of things, we might end up thinking our entire world is dark and gloomy, whilst, in fact, the full picture is heartwarmingly bright and colourful with a few patches of grey.
![THIS IS A WONDERFUL DAY. I HAVE NEVER SEEN THIS ONE BEFORE. 60 BIG AND SMALL THINGS TO BE GRATEFUL FOR EVERY DAY [EVEN WHEN THINGS ARE TOUGH]](https://pawns.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/THIS-IS-A-WONDERFUL-DAY.-I-HAVE-NEVER-SEEN-THIS-ONE-BEFORE.-60-BIG-AND-SMALL-THINGS-TO-BE-GRATEFUL-FOR-EVERY-DAY-EVEN-WHEN-THINGS-ARE-TOUGH.jpg "60 Big And Small Things To Be Grateful For Every Day [Even When Things Are Tough] 4")
It is easy to find yourself engulfed by hate, dread, or regret as you complain, fear, or reminisce about something bad in the present, future, or past. Whilst those responses and reactions are natural and normal, they are not always productive or healthy for you.
You might have been told about the many benefits of gratitude, and how the habit of gratitude changes your life, but still find yourself struggling to think of things to be grateful for.
The big lesson from the story of Elisha and the Widow’s Oil is: No matter how badly you wish or pray for something, you must prepare for it to get it – you must have sufficient vessels/capacity to hold it. Your miracle is proportional to your level of readiness
A lot of people want good things to happen to them, yet they aren’t prepared for it.
Setting boundaries in friendships is important to maintain healthy relationships and ensure both parties are comfortable and respected. Without boundaries, friendships quickly become one-sided, toxic, and in some cases abusive.
Freedom Anxiety is a feeling of unease, nervousness, or apprehension that comes when people have either too much freedom or not enough. This often happens because we have ambivalent desires – we love to be free and have adventures, but at the same time, we want to feel secure and have a predictable routine.
Faith is a word that is revered by many people but abhorred by many others. For example, most religious and spiritual people think it is the secret to miraculously bringing their desires to reality, while many non-religious people think faith in that regard is simply self-delusion and has no relevance in the cold-indifferent world we find ourselves in.
However, faith on its own is a neutral concept, and given the right context, can be something very powerful to understand, cultivate, and deploy in overcoming life’s confusion, and difficulties to achieve success and happiness.
Trauma is an unpleasant psycho-physical response following an event (or series of events) that was perceived as a threat to a person’s physical or psychological well-being and surpasses their ability to cope (handle or adjust to it).
Think of it like being bitten by a snake. The initial bite may sting for a split second, but that is not the killer. The venom, which takes minutes or even hours to slowly deteriorates the cells and organs is what kills. So also, a traumatic event may last a few seconds or minutes and be unpleasant on its own, but it is the effects of it over the months or years that slowly wreck the traumatized person (i.e. the person who experienced the traumatic event).
![10 Ways To Develop Self-Awareness as a Young Adult [The Beginner’s Guide]. Developing self-awareness is more effective than developing self-control](https://pawns.com.ng/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/da7c84fb-ce6b-4ae5-81ef-490712168cb3.jpg "10 Ways To Develop Self-Awareness as a Young Adult [The Beginner’s Guide] 10")
As technology advances, the world prospers, and options become multiplied, many influential people have prescribed self-control and discipline as the key to long-term success and genuine happiness. However, few of them have highlighted that developing and maintaining self-control or discipline is impossible without sufficient self-awareness.
