Prolific You

“An Ideal For Which Am Prepared To Die” –Nelson Mandela

In April 20, 1964, a courageous man unknown to the world boldly declared the noted statement above in defense of his belief.  He believed in equality of all people, and pegged his entire life on this single focus.  I heard these words as the media regurgitated the death of President Nelson Mandela back in late 2013, and my heart almost stopped.  Somehow, these words transmitted to my subconscious where they lay till I become aware of the weight they carry this afternoon.  To my surprise, I realized in retrospect that something internal in me changed then.

These days, I find that my decision making is rather slanted, and for the better!  It has become apparent that until a few years ago, I lived my life according to other’s expectations.  Something that I was oblivious of yet profoundly moved to awake to.  According to Psychology, (the study of the mind), it is noted that the greatest human desire innate and common to all people is to be fulfilled in life.  Note, I said Fulfilled and not Successful?  Fulfillment means you are living your dreams aka full potential; while Successful means you have accomplished some goals, wealth, position, honor, etc.

Therefore, it is very likely that one could be successful but be unfulfilled.  For example, in the past few years, I have had the opportunity to connect with people needing help overcoming certain family and relationship blocks.  For example, I worked with a very one lady is in her mid 30s, and although she had a successful career, she struggled with fear of “self-reliance” stemming from fear of ‘what could be’.  These were my early days in this work which explains why I thought what a paradox–how can one be so successful yet struggle with such matters?!   Gladly, she was very humble to realize that she needed help, and that made it easier to breakthrough the mental block and achieve the desired outcome.  It is then that I realized one of my Aha! moments or the shift–that is–when we embrace a new perspective in confronting what once intimidated us, we always raise above the fear, the obstacles, and allow ourselves to move on ready to face whatever consequences.  I believe this is what the late President Mandela did as he addressed the very system that intimidated him.  To this end, I have found that once an individual decides that they cannot be hindered by anything, let alone themselves; they become unstoppable, and in that act; they tip the scale to their advantage and for the better and a new being is born–a moment of transformation!!

For Madiba, and others luminaries like him e.g, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., transcendence and quantum change came when  that which they believed aligned with the who, the what and the why they existed.  It’s no wonder that history for many was shaped, and lives impacted forever!  I have had a share of my own challenges, fears and successes in my own journey, and have concluded that at the base of our subconsious is what guides us, influences our daily pursuit or lack thereof.   I remember a time in my wilderness days when I felt frustrated by myself and almost everything else around me until I stopped to look within, only to uncover the proverbial elephant in the room–the Unawakened and Unaware Self.  Today, my pain and desire to address that which was latent within has passed, and I feel new, energized, intouch with self, my values and now have joy both in both the minors and majors of my mundane activities.  It is this paradigm that has led me to this undertaking, and my belief that ‘knowing thyself’ is the most crucial indicator of fullfment in life.  To be fullfilled however, you must define your Why–the Why you do, act and believe what you do?  Be clear whether you are driven by the outside forces: societys’s demand on you, your parent’s demands on you, other people’s or your own?  Whatever it is, you can make it your slave today if you to master self, otherwise; the alternative is going through life only to reach your end unfulfilled and wishing you had set out to do what you believed and loved as opposed to being ‘whatever’s slave’.  

For the late President, it seems he found out early on in his life that he couldn’t ignore the irritations of  inequality and segregation.  He believed that all men are created equal, and have unalienable rights from their Creator; thus, he made it his life call, and was willing to die for that ideal.  Today, the late Madiba is judged best by history and was dubbed selfless, humble and an admired leader of the 21st Century, and although he is gone, his legacy still lives on!  My desire is that when am gone, my essence and spirit will live on through others–and its this desire that charges me on in the quest to help others discover their Prolific edge, and on to becoming the ‘Prolific You’ you were designed to be.  To get there, I encourage you to look within and not without!   I welcome you to take some time to examine your ideals and see if you have any ‘ideal for which you are prepared to die’, because it is then and only then you begin to live the Prolific You!