The Key to change starts with a daring to think different. WE ALL can change and be able to experience true prosperity when we decide to take the journey of mind renewal. The Greatest Journey one can ever take is the Journey of Self-Discovery. Life is a journey from the INSIDE-OUT.
Do you know that your brain has neurological pathways that store your past memories which are composed of images, sounds, words and emotions? (The Brain From Top To Bottom). Yes, it is true and scientifically proven by Neurologists. Your memory has been built during your childhood days growing up while interacting with your external surroundings. So that means every good memory and bad memory has a neurological pathway stored in your brain. Why am telling you this? Well according to that fact, what I am trying to tell you is that your behavior and personality is shaped and controlled by these neurological pathways. Stemming from these stored memories your conscious reasoning gives birth to your opinions, philosophies and beliefs about what you perceive life to be. Your current beliefs and opinions about anything in life may not be based on truth because it may be adopted from someone else learned opinion or what you observed and experienced in the past which all maybe entirely false. Basically what I am saying is that you are living life now based upon the stored emotions, images, words and sounds acquired in the past but you are not aware of it because it happens so fast. A Stimulus from the external world and a response from your neurological pathways or memory bank happens so quick sometimes you cannot be aware of it. That is the reason why we comment on some of our behaviors as happening spontaneously or unconsciously.
Using your mental ability of Self-Awareness you can identify limiting beliefs and mental patterns stored within your mind and reprogram it with success principles based on truth.
I would like to live you all to ponder upon this old zen story:
Muddy Road
Tanzan and Ekido were once travelling together down a muddy road. A heavy rain was still falling.
Coming around a bend, they met a lovely girl in a silk kimono and sash, unable to cross the intersection.
"Come on, girl," said Tanzan at once. Lifting her in his arms, he carried her over the mud.
Ekido did not speak again until that night when they reached a lodging temple. Then he no longer could restrain himself. "We monks don't go near females," he told Tanzan, "especially not young and lovely ones. It is dangerous. Why did you do that?"
"I left the girl there," said Tanzan. "Are you still carrying her?"
“Poverty Consciousness” refers to our internal state of mind regarding the notion of poverty. Here we are not discussing about the social/physical aspect of poverty such as lack of nutrition, poor hygiene, low income, or lack of access to basic needs. However, we are dealing with our inner representation of the concept of poverty that has laid the foundation of our reality. It is important to understand that poverty has its root embedded in our mind as it is a state of consciousness. The manifestation of its physical reality along with the social indicators was created and imprinted in the inner world and then being reflected through the outer reality mirror. This occurs due to the fact that; everything is first conceived by the mind as an idea and then materializes into reality. The point here is about the mental aspect of our reality which should not be mixed up with what we have understood about poverty from our socio-economic standpoint so far. We have to become fully aware of what we usually focus upon every now and then in order to conceptualize how our thoughts do affect our reality both consciously and unconsciously. The truth about our reality lies beneath our consciousness, therefore; it is imperative that it should be brought unto our lens of focus.
The poverty consciousness merely can be summed up as our attitude of “lack mentality. “It has become a habit of an average Papua New Guinean that we usually tend to focus our attention to “what we don’t have” (negative) instead of “what we do have” (positive). We had created an impression (image) in our mind that unless I have this or posses that would make me happy/satisfied. Sometimes we tend to believe that all our problems should be solved once we become such person or own this or that. We had been addicted to merely deal with the illusion of our reality that actually limit us to progress and prosper in life. Our creative mind then, tends to filter such information according to whatever image and beliefs we hold to be true in our mind. We become what we always think of as the outer reality would always mirror the inner blueprint of our consciousness. We had limited ourselves fully that we fail to focus on the broader perspective of what we already have or in the process of becoming; the positive (other side) of the same coin. We don’t usually appreciate and pay attention to what we already have as this is the key to prosperity instead; we focus on the lack of what we ought to have or become. You may have all physical and social needs that you want, however; if you still focus on what you don’t have (lack and limitation) you won’t acquire happiness and satisfaction because you have limited yourself by continually erecting brick by brick upon the walls of poverty consciousness.
For instance;if you are a committed employee earning around K500.00 per forth night working on the same routine of duties, and when its payday; you begin to feel anxious and concern about repaying your loan, paying your rent, how much will be deducted for Income Tax, meeting other demands and expenses that you completely ignore the fact to really appreciate and embrace what you’ve just earn from your commitment to work. Such situation after repetition becomes a fixed pattern of your reality in which you have created through your impulsive thoughts and emotions working accordingly. You are more likely to meet more of such experiences unless you change your mental image by focusing on the opposite of that you do not want. The outer world would always reflect the inner world because they are connected. Failure to shift to the positive state of mind limits you to your own image of reality whether you like it or not as this is the code of the universal law of attraction; “like attracts like.” This is how the law works using the above example: if two different people were given the same situation, one focuses on the optimistic side (gratitude and appreciation) and the other on the negative (lack and limitation). Both of them would reap the results that reflect what energy vibration they give out upon their focus towards the event experienced. Even though, you certainly know what the desirable outcome is, what you focus upon determines what you get. So, take heed of what you give out from your consciousness- if you usually complain of how hard life is, your reality shall reveal more of how hard it is for you to complain about. Such mental function can be so, subtle as it often operates on the unconscious level of our awareness. Sometimes we are so busy in our every day routine that we fail to realize the essence of life that we live in because we always react to the outer circumstances of our reality.
Having gratitude by appreciating and being content with what life has offered to you is the state of allowing yourself to the universal-spiritual flow of abundance and prosperity. The key is to build your reality by focusing on what best you deserve to become (prosperous) having gratitude and not giving in to the “lack mentality” (poverty consciousness). Prosperity is an inner mental state that becomes expressed on the outside as material wealth and success. Every action we take either resists or allows us to match with the law of prosperity (well-being). This can be further explained through understanding the works of the mental science theorists. Resistance is placing focus on what you would rather NOT have happening which is in essence creating and projecting a magnetic force which is drawing to you what it is that you are placing your predominant focus on or DON"T have a desire to experience. This focus can only draw more of that which you are focusing on. Gratitude on the other hand is an acceptance of things just the way they are which correlates with acceptance which in turn resonates and projects a much different resonance of energy creating a magnetic force that is conducive to attracting the "desired" outcome[.1 ]
The “Power of Gratitude” applied to the present state of being is an extremely important aspect of attracting to yourself the Abundance and Happiness that you desire and deserve in your life. The Bible also emphasizes the significance of gratitude by stating that whatever you have despite, the quantity (more or less it is); always give thanks to the Lord that you may be blessed with more to come. This doesn’t imply that it is a religious practice and works for only religious believers but, it is a law set in the order of creation (nature) and works on every person’s reality consciously and unconsciously. The sunlight doesn’t shine for only religious believers but for every one that inhibits this physical planet because it acts according to the universal law of nature. Hence; take back your power by focusing on what you really want your life to become (prosperity) and not merely reacting on the circumstances reflecting lack and limitation (poverty). We must take precaution on such matter as most of our negative self image and beliefs had created their pathways (building blocks) in our nervous system that tend to filter and limit our conscious reality, thus; working to change our reality requires conditioning our willingness to effect change inside-out. Our ignorance on that fact; keeps us stuck in the web of illusion –believing that we are the victims of circumstances even though we had the power within us to bring about change. This is a profound concept, however; I believe by understanding the mental constructs that limit our reality puts us in a better position to have control in deciding what is best for our destiny.
Finally, all fight against poverty through social and economic approach of the society should take into account the psychological and spiritual framework of how thoughts materialize to become things. The physical and social indicators are the effects that resulted from the causes within the mental /spiritual realm. Therefore; it is a must to deal with the matters at the causation level to reestablish the order of creation within the mind of man. Otherwise, all actions of managing and dealing with poverty states from the outside are doomed to failure as any attempted solution from outside-in only addressed part of the problem or might generate associated problems that may even be worse. Please, take into account that the roots of everything happening in our physical reality usually operate at the unconscious level of our mind. Dr. Robert Anthony states that; “the long-term solution to poverty, lack and limitation lies in our ability to turn our inner potential into reality-the only way we can truly heal the world is to heal ourselves first.” Albert Einstein also emphasizes that; we can never solve a problem on the same level of awareness as that at which the problem was created.
As a matter of fact, such generalization as; “Papua New Guinea, despite being blessed and rich in natural wealth and resources and yet, still under-developed and struggles over the poverty line,” may have its solution dormant in our consciousness unless we take a step to awaken our level of awareness/consciousness by harnessing the power within. Always focus on what you really want your life to be and maintain that state of mind for the better as change starts from an individual then moves out to others/community. Everyone deserves to walk in the light of prosperity and not poverty unless you choose to be in that state of consciousness. Understanding this is of great advantage if you decide to break free from the mediocre lifestyle that limits your reality.
The term Common originated in feudal England that refers to a group of people or tenants who occupy and cultivate a lord’s land that is considered as “waste”. In Medieval literature, commoners are one of three estates. The General Prologue, from the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, explores "the Medieval social theory that society was made up of three 'estates'". The Nobility were a "small hereditary aristocracy, whose mission on earth was to rule over and defend the body politic". The Church had the responsibility of "looking after the spiritual welfare of that body". Commoners "were supposed to do that work that provided for its physical needs". The social status was a division of different class and their places and occupations in Medieval society. Free Dictionary.com, gives the following definitions respectively:
com•mon•er n. 1. One of the common people. 2. A person without noble rank or title.
commoner n 1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a person who does not belong to the nobility.
A commoner is a person who holds no title, a member of the middle class, a person of no influence, the ordinary person, a hypothetical average man, a member of the working class (not necessarily employed); "workers of the world--unite!"
That is where “community” got its concept from. Community is a group of people united by a common something. In other words they are a group of “common people”. Examples of commoners in Papua New Guinean society would be of the working class persons, the high school drop outs roaming the streets and/or whatever status circumstances places you in society. Whether you are a lawyer, doctor, accountant, human resource manager, businessman, news editor, TV presenter, Artist, Musician, a driver or a tea-boy or a student, etc, you are all the same. You are a commoner; there is nothing different about you because of your profession or status because at the end of the day you all work and contribute toward the running of a governmental system.
Now by me saying that being common is boring might be a bit of an over statement but as a matter of fact it isn’t. There is nothing at all interesting about being common. Papua New Guinea has a lot of common people doing common things and aren’t getting anywhere. They are all stuck in their every day frustrations of trying to meet this and that and every other cares and worries in this complex 21st century lifestyle. The world is full of common babies being born into a common family who are raised up in a common culture, get a common education and end up in a common job with a common salary, accidentally falls into a common relationship and have a common wedding, have common babies and live a common life with other people of common beliefs and interests and then dies a common death and gets buried in a common grave among the common dead. How commonly boring can the world get?
And if we are to be a great nation, than being common surely is taking the road of mediocrity down the forgotten abyss of triviality. If you want to be great, deliver yourself from being a “commoner” and begin to express your uniqueness; your truest nature, find your gift and talent, develop it and be a servant to the masses; be an agent of change; be an agent for greatness. Dr Myles Munroe would always say that “you were not born to keep the mortgage going or to pay the rent or live to make a living. What a Lousy life you live…! You were born to make a difference.” Something great begins to happen when a commoner begins to discover his/her unique purpose. There is nothing more powerful than a commoner with a sense of purpose. Finding his/her purpose he/she sets out on a journey of separation from the common masses to the place of his/her unique greatness whereupon after serving the world he/she is able to live behind a set of footprints, a legacy, not as a commoner but as one of the greats that ever walked this earth.
Remember to always dare think different!!
The following inspirational video has a great message for you to think about.
