LIFE CAN ROB YOU OF YOUR REAL SELF & IDENTITY!!!!!
Chike Onyia, Esq.
Resilience, Emotional Intelligence, & Gratitude Practitioner, California Licensed Lawyer, Barrister & Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria
The problems, pain and disappointments we face in life can actually rob us of our “real self” or identity, if we are not careful.
When things are going well in our lives, we are happy, confident and fulfilled. However, when the storms come (and they will SURELY come), you may get sad, depressed and if the problems persist, you may even be knocked out!!!! During those times, if you are not careful, you could actually start looking at yourself as a loser!!! You could feel hopeless, helpless and despondent.
The good news is that “MAD” people deal with these types of situations differently. This new year, I started a campaign to demonstrate that MAD people do GREAT things in life!!! My definition of MAD people is this: they are extremely positive and passionate about life, they get angry at mediocrity & and they do great things in life (MAD in this context has NOTHING to do with having mental problems!!!) - for more information about the different meanings of the word “MAD” - see the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
When MAD people face problems and pain, they may be sad or even depressed but they NEVER give up - NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT LIFE BECOMES!!!!
Here are three things “MAD” people do to maintain their sense of identity while they go through the storms of life:
1. They cultivate a HIGH sense of SELF-AWARENESS. This simply means that they FORCEFULLY remind themselves of who they are in terms of their achievements, successes, strengths and the things that make them unique - after all, prior to the problem, they had done some amazing things in life.
2. They are RESILIENT, BOLD & COURAGEOUS. They look the problem in the face and tell it to go to “hell.” They are so strong because their “WHY” is always bigger than the problem. Their “WHY” has to do with the reason for their existence and those things burning in their bellies that will NEVER make them quit. I learnt about the concept of “WHY” from Eric Thomas, Ph.D, a man who has helped transform my life permanently.
3. They relentlessly seek solutions, alternatives or they improvise. The bottom-line is that they ALWAYS find a way OUT!!!
Never let life rob you of your real-self, identity or destiny!!!