Self Mastery

Sometimes there is a thin line between avoiding disputes and throwing hands, I mean literally exchanging fists of fury. It takes much more than shutting up and maybe avoiding conversations to not cross that line, especially when you cannot avoid the cause or reason behind this sometimes-consistent problems.

Speaking from experience, I once had mild issues with a colleague at work concerning consensus about a subject which was affecting me directly. It was literally difficult in all dimensions measurable to work with that person, communication was extremely hard, seemed like I was being deliberately picked on over the flimsiest reasons. I dreaded the workplace, everyone I was working with and even the task I was assigned, just for this reason.

Fortunately for me, I had a mentor at work with whom I could relate easily. Someone always ready to listen to my side of the story and make sense of it. He was the only person I was comfy talking to about my issues. A few mins after hearing the whole scenario, he made me understand something about life generally. “People won’t always tend to your needs, likes or your comfort. Life is not always going to work for you, you have to make a conscious choice to master yourself as you avoid what people do affect your productivity”.

It brought me to realize the importance of knowing myself, my true identity and why I should not let an entity’s opinion define my state or reaction. At the end of the day, the whole issue was just a Personality misunderstanding which required a different dimension. In the case when the other party is not looking to work on their perceived weakness, your duty as an individual is to Master yourself, in your own interest.

If everything was going right for the greatest achievers in the world, they would most likely not achieve the feats we know them for today. There will be times when we/other people fall short of our own expectations. Do we beat ourselves up for that or shake off the shortcoming and move on? 

Sulking does no good than making the whole situation worse. A weakness is a weakness, work on it. Look beyond disappointments and shortcomings and look towards mastery and the greater good.

Sometimes, we literally have to say ‘Odeechi’ to our problems and eventually place our focus on the goals ahead. That is when you truly have Self Mastery.