7 Ways you Could be to Shrinking instead of Shining in 2015

When you come to the crossroads of your life, what do you do? When you realize that for one reason or another, you might not be able to maintain your lifestyle the way you have been keeping it, what do you do?

• Do you start avoiding people?
• Do you dread meeting people who will ask you what’s going on in your life?
• Do you withdraw from your pursuits?
• Do you stop giving in order to preserve your life?
• Do you give in to feelings of discouragement, fear, disillusion, despondency?
• Do you start believing that your self-worth has dwindled and you are no longer important?
• Do you decide to postpone living and wait for a breakthrough so you can resume your previous lifestyle?

It is very logical to shrink back from life when faced with a challenge. We have already covered four major ways you can choose to shine instead of shrinking in 2014. I still believe this topic needs to be discussed further. Choices and decisions will be the major contributing factors to us shining in 2015, or in any other year for that matter. The point is that if you do not choose to shine, then you have chosen to shrink.

It is easy to create a victim mentality around you. When you do it, it deprives you of the power to bounce back. Passivity at such times with you decision making is the main door through which you enter the kingdom of shrinking. This means that you have to make an active conscious choice to shine in spite of all the challenges that you are facing. A curious thing to note though is that at the time of trial or crisis, the choice to shine can be a powerful and liberating one. And no, am not saying that once you have decided, everything will be easy. Am saying that deciding to shine is within your options, and yea, it is pretty much within your reach.

If you are doing the following, chances are that you are giving in and you are shrinking.

1. Bowing down to mental pressure:

For the most part, shrinking is a mental (mind game). You shrink in your thoughts. The problem with these thoughts is that at times they are not necessarily true. For example, you lose your main source of income and the thoughts start flooding your mind that you will be poor and that you will struggle. Although that reality is a possibility, you need to realize that it is not the only option. When you start giving mental assent to such thoughts, you have effectively opened the door for your shrinking to set in. A curious thing is that many people give in and bow to these mental pressure so easily, even before they can analyze their options. The moment you give in to this mental pressure, it becomes difficult for you to put your shine on. It is a mental game, and it must be won in the mind. Don’t give in, don’t give up.

2. Procrastination:

You know, we procrastinate mostly because we know that you are assured of tomorrow. We think we have time tomorrow. Nothing robs us of power like procrastination does. Nothing breeds mediocrity like procrastination does. And the moment you start engaging in this game, you light starts dimming. You start making it possible for you to shrink instead of shining. Come to think of it: If your life depended on it, am sure you will find a way to come up with a solution. Comfort should not be your main goal in life. Solutions to problems should supersede your need to be comfortable.

3. Fear:

This dark and ugly tormentor of people’s vision is so vicious. The irony is that it does not have much power other than the power we give it. We are definitely not exempt from feeling afraid. Every last one of us. However, we can decide to starve the thoughts of fear or we can decide to feed them. How do you starve fear? By taking action. At the very core of a shrunken, unfruitful life is the spirit of fear. However, choosing to shine in spite of the presence of fear dispels it like light dispels darkness. I have come to find out that my inaction does not mean that I lack capacity to act for the most part. It just could mean that I was paralyzed by fear…and for the most part, that fear is always unfounded!

4. Inconsistency:

I will say it again and again: As a visionary, one of your greatest fights in life is the fight of momentum. This is one fight that you must not lose through your inconsistency. Once you have decided to shine through one act or another, it is imperative that you maintain priority and focus and that you at all costs remain consistent with your choice. You cannot go out and jog today and then give excuses tomorrow. The act of inconsistency brings lots of personal judgement on your life to such a degree that you can easily throw in the towel. Accept no excuses at all from your self. Choose to at all costs remain consistent and keep your top momentum.

5. Vision-less:

By now we know, “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. If you really want to shrink, it’s not that hard. Its easy. Have life full of activity without vision and direction and purpose. But this is done by millions of people around the world. People have daily routines that at the end of the day add no real value to themselves or those around them. If you look around your life and you realize that you are not giving your efforts daily to serving a personal vision (which is not necessarily acquisition of things), then my friend, you are shrinking from life. If you are not deploying your life fully, purposefully, and with intent daily, then unconsciously, you are shrinking.

6. Time Mismanagement:

If you do not have plans, activities that you will expend your time on, you are choosing to shrink. Even when you have schedules to follow if you are not a sharp time-keeper, you can easily fall in the category of those who shrink. Mike Murdock says he’s never met a poor man who cared about time, neither has he met a rich man who didn’t. Shining is not necessarily about having money, but deploying your best in the present world. A stickler of how time is used daily will shine brighter as he progresses.

7. Dressing the Part:

One symptom of shrinking is accepting some ‘label’ that the world gives you and dressing to it accordingly. You lose an investment, they call you broke, and you mentally and physically dress that way! This is the quickest way of shrinking and if anything, it reinforces your state! If you want to shine despite your circumstances, you ought to dress like someone who intends to shine. Your speech and comments on social media should not be littered with woe, trying to invite sympathy. You will be shrinking instead.

Will you make a decision in 2015 and beyond that regardless of what goes on around you, you will choose to shine? It is possible.