Over and Beyond

Note: I started writing this article earlier in the day by 5: 00AM

I just looked at the time and realized that I've been up for a long time now. Not my usual routine though, considering how tired I am these days but today I have been up and I feel totally fine. Weird right? I guess everyday has their different perks.

Its been a good morning on my end, woke up to the sound of my fan hovering around my head and giving out cool air making me so comfy. Seeing light is a very good way to start your morning. Considering I have had to spend most of my mornings in darkness lately and of course in heat, it feels nice to have something else for a change and I'm loving it.

What would you say is your most powerful weapon? I don't mean swords, knives and guns. If we were to discuss the most powerful amongst these three then we'd be here all day because a great swordsman would say its the sword. Why? Because he has the skills needed to wield it. Another good with knives would definitely say knives are the most powerful and lastly a soldier or a thief or maybe anyone with the training of how to use a gun would say guns hold the greatest power. Well who do you agree with?

My most powerful weapon will be...(wait I'm thinking)..I don't know how to use swords, I might end up cutting myself. Knives are also a no-go area for me. What about guns? I can't use one either. I guess my most powerful weapon would have to be my mind. Yes! You heard me right, I just said my mind.

Since I was young, I've had an overactive imagination. I would conjure up stories and thoughts in my head and spend a lot of time dwelling on them. My mind was always busy, working up one thought or the other, making sure I'm never bored. See why its my power house? Its always there when I need it.

The mind is a very powerful tool and over time research has shown that it is the power house and driving force of every human. Frankly I agree because nothing a man does ever happens without the knowledge of the mind. It has to be conceived, analysed, processed and understood up there in one's mind before any possible action can be made.

Have you never wondered why the phrase "a sound mind" existed. Think about it, does it mean that the mind can be "unsound". Absolutely right! A sound mind is what we all need to achieve all we want in life. Do you need money, that new job, new house, admission and more, then you need to make sure your mind is sound.

Let me tell you a story. There was a boy called Ade. He was a lover of football and he loved to play all the time. He had the skills, he was physically fit and he had good looks too. In his local community, he already had the nickname Aderonaldo. This was because he had skills Cristiano Ronaldo has and he was just a young boy. Ade was still a secondary school student but wanted to play football abroad and he always envisaged himself doing this all the time.

Ade's heart, head and mind were focused on this dream of his and he wanted it so bad. He would train daily to be better. One day, news got to Ade that some football ambassadors were coming to the neighborhood to scout new talents in a week. This news was very good to Ade because he knew he had what is required to be selected but Ade made a mistake. He began to train and prepare too much without rest. When he wasn't training physically, he was training in his mind.

This all became too much or Ade that his body broke down. It started out as a joke but Ade became mentally unstable and started blurting out a lot of gibberish. Although he got picked, he couldn't go and they had to pick someone who was less qualified than Ade .

This story although sad happens a lot, maybe not in its entirety but in bits here and there. Despite the fact that we need to have sound minds, we should not over task our mind and force it to break down. We should know when to stop and let things be for the time being. Taking a short rest doesn't mean you don't know what's at stake, it simply means than you know its important, that's why you're resting to enable you push better.

The mind although has no mouth of its own should be guarded like a treasure chest because once it is lost, it cannot be recovered easily. Here are a few tips that help

** take a lot of rest and sleep for reasonable hours daily.

** Think positive and happy thoughts often. I know there will always be problems but don't dwell on them all the time

** have time for your mind to wander off on its own without restricting it. This helps to keep it from being logged with thoughts after thoughts after thoughts

** generally, be happy!!

Closing thoughts

My mind for me is my wonder worker. I engage it a lot and I let it rest a lot. Plus there are times I go a day without engaging it at all. You can do lots more if you have a healthy relationship between you and your mind. Its special so treat it as such!