It starts in your mind

by Kudzai Kutukwa

Once upon a time there lived a guy named Jim. Jim was an average guy and he worked as a plumber. He lived a fairly comfortable life with his wife and two kids. Although Jim loved his job and his average life, he always dreamt of becoming a millionaire. He would imagine all the wonderful things he would be able to buy and the lavish lifestyle that he would have. Thus, week after week Jim would play the lottery hoping that one day he would have a lucky break that would catapult him into the life of his dreams. Sadly, week after week, month after month, year after year; Jim never won the lottery and his dreams remained just that: dreams. After ten years of disappointment Jim's luck finally changed and he won a cool $5 000 000!

Jim's dream had come true and he was ecstatic! Finally he was now a millionaire and all his desires were now within his reach. Upon hearing the good news, Jim's wife and kids could not help but scream with excitement. Tears of joy, sounds of celebration and songs of jubilation filled his house that day. After receiving his money, Jim immediately quit his job and he began to live the life of his dreams. He bought a new mansion in a posh neighbourhood of his town. He furnished it with exotic Italian furniture. All the latest sports cars that you used to exist in his imagination became a part of his reality.

Five years later, Jim was up to ears in debt and he had lost his cars and house. He was forced to get his old job back as a plumber and he struggled financially for the rest of his life, the End. The moral of the story? Everything you want in your life (whether its success, wealth or happiness) begins six inches between your ears: in your mind.

"As a man thinks in his heart, so he is" (Proverbs 23:7). The preceding statement from the bible reminds us that we are what we think not what we have. Too often people make the mistake of pursuing wealth, health, success, etc in the external environment without first changing their thoughts. Like Jim, we become ignorant of the fact that we shape our external environment by our thoughts and not vice-versa. Jim thought that having a million dollars would make him a millionaire. What he was unaware of was that in order to become a millionaire, he needed to have a "millionaire mindset" first, and then the million dollars would follow. Winning the lottery didn't make him a millionaire but a poor person with five million dollars. We all know the old adage that says "a fool and his money are soon parted," this statement became true in Jim's life. His final condition was worse than his first.

If you change the way you think, you will also change your behaviour. A change in behaviour will result in you forming new habits that are harmonious with your desires. This will result in you having the desires of your heart; in Jim's case he would have become a millionaire because his thoughts and behaviour will be in sync with his dream. A change of your circumstances is in exact ratio with a change of your mental condition. Do you see how this works?

On his quest to becoming a millionaire instead of wasting precious time and money playing the lottery Jim should have:

a) visualized and affirmed himself as a millionaire

b) adopted a 'millionaire mindset' by aligning his self-talk and habits with that of a millionaire

c) studied the lives of other millionaires, to find out what makes them different from everybody else i.e. he had to first BECOME a millionaire at the core of his being before he could have what millionaires have. The same is true for you in any area of your life, HAVING IS ABOUT BEING! Read the preceding statement once again until you get it.

"As a man thinks so he is, as he continues to think so he remains." What is it that you desire to have? Is it wealth, happiness, success, divine health? Whatever it is, find out first WHO you need to BECOME in order to have what you want. True and lasting change begins on the inside and works its way out, not the other way around. Remember, all that you will achieve and all that you will fail to achieve will be the direct result of your own thoughts. It all starts in your mind.