RULE YOUR MIND AND MASTER YOURSELF
- Written by Eric North aka “The Happiness Warrior”
“One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself”—Leonardo DiVinci
Self-mastery is when we’re able to see and embrace the raw, most authentic version of ourselves. It’s essential to growth, success, and true happiness. Self-mastery is a lifelong process that creates the wisdom that comes from introspection, intention, and self-awareness. When we consciously begin to learn what mastering ourselves means, we gain more clarity, have better decision-making skills, have more choices, and create a feeling of freedom. Mastering ourselves comes from developing a mindset that’s focused on being the best versions of ourselves.
Recently, I had to return something to my local Whole Foods. Complaining and returning things is not in my nature, but the item had been improperly stored on their end, and I felt that they should know for the sake of other customers. I left the house with my usual “Happiness Warrior” mindset and by the time we were finished, I had everyone feeling good, smiling, and laughing. When I returned home, my husband asked me if it “went alright?”. I sort of did a double-take and said, “you know me nothing ever goes wrong when I set my intention”. Learning self-mastery has taught me to set myself up to reach my goals while creating a positive environment where everyone feels good about themselves. The lesson here is that life is better when we make sure others feel seen and valued. Understanding how to navigate through life and make the best of any situation is the essence of self-mastery.
I believe that everyone has value, and the importance of showing empathy, support, and respect for everyone I encounter. For me, that’s what life is all about and it provides me with an abundance of happiness. By demonstrating self-mastery to others, we not only inspire ourselves, but most importantly we can help others find inspiration for their life-journey as well. Self-mastery helps us to feel more grateful for what life provides and can be the source of our personal momentum. When we can be honest with ourselves, and know what we want, we have everything we need to make our dreams come true.
“You don’t love yourself enough. Or you’d love your nature too, and it demands of you”—Marcus Aurelius
Mastering our lives begins with affirmations of who we are and what we want out of life. In my case, I believe that every day is a great day! By doing so, I set myself up to expect nothing but good, and even the more difficult and stressful tasks are easier and accomplished with less effort. When we learn to focus on self-mastery, we’re in control of both our present and future.
Every morning I tell myself two things out loud:
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“It’s going to be a great day!”
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“I like everyone”.
By learning to control our thinking, negative thoughts and outside disturbances are no longer in control. Controlling our thoughts helps us to move forward with more clarity and confidence. Emotional fears and insecurities are replaced with a feeling of power that we’re in control of our experience. When feel stuck, our unheard intuition is building and bursting to be heard. By slowing down and listening to our intuition or “gut”, we can be our authentic selves. This creates greater self-esteem to create the happier and more fulfilling lives that we deserve and wish for.
KNOW YOUR STRENGTHS
Introspection is the examination of our internal psychological and emotional processes—our beliefs, self-defeating behaviors, feelings, thoughts, and reactions. Too much introspection can lead to confusion and feeling stuck, ashamed, or guilty about the past. The past is part of our memories but not who we are in the present. Know when to pull back and forgive yourself! Once we forgive ourselves for past actions and make necessary changes in the present, we can forge ahead to the future on our true path. The next step is always waiting when we learn to trust ourselves.
SELF-AWARENESS FOR SELF-MASTERY
To be fully self-aware can be incredibly difficult. No matter how big or small our egos we will always see ourselves a bit differently than others perceive us. Self-awareness requires looking outside not just inside. When we finally see the light within ourselves, we see our truths and are not longer trapped in a spiral of self-created negative emotions.
Steps to Boost Self-Awareness:
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Ask for feedback from people you trust to be honest.
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SWOT Analysis—a great tool to take inventory of ourselves. Identify and assess these three components: 1. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, or Threats.
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Understand how we use past experiences to tackle life’s problems.
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Understand triggers for negative emotions or self-created doubt. Learn to overrule the mind.
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Reflect on response before reacting.
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Know what happiness means to you!
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Don’t be fooled by a good or bad mood. Make decisions rationally and not impulsively. Know the difference between what your heart wants and what you need.
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Slow down and respond to things carefully with good judgment and peace of mind.
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Learn to pay attention to what you need.
Be afraid of nothing!
SELF-MASTERY IS OUR WISDOM
Self-mastery is when we begin to see ourselves fully and become the best possible version of ourselves. It’s when we have the wisdom to realize that external forces and pressures can no longer overwhelm us.
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Awareness, not thinking
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An attitude of openness and curiosity, not judging
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Flexibility of attention, not resisting
The best way to overcome old habits and unhealthy routines is to start small and examine thought patterns and consciously change negative thinking with positive life-affirming actions. By learning to detach from our identity, we can begin to change our mindset. These powerful steps can help us begin to live life with greater confidence and value to ourselves and others.
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Conquer fear and always be open to doing something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Listen to intuition and take the next step. Great rewards come from understanding and conquering fear. Fear holds us back from fully living our lives.
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Self-discipline shows a commitment to personal goals. Understand that distractions are self-destructive, can cause negative emotions, and lower self-esteem. Self-discipline allows us to show-up for and take ownership of our lives!
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Cultivate wisdom by learning something new every day. Everything is connected and our skills are the sum of our powers. We’re tested not to show our weaknesses but to show our strengths. Everything is an opportunity to learn.
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Integrity is everything. Integrity gives us will power and provides self-discipline. This is how we grow by taking action that’s in alignment with our values. What we do in life can make us better humans
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Practice self-awareness. What do we want in life? What goals are important? How have I limited myself?
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Develop and rejoice in creativity. Without creativity life is static. Creativity helps our minds to expand and find solutions to problems which leads to greater happiness and fulfillment in life.
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We’re the product of our environment. Disengage from situations or places that feel uncomfortable and listen to your inner voice. Take a good look at friendships and relationships and listen to how they make you feel. Removing negative people from our lives can be the change we need for renewal of spirit.
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When we learn to love who we are, we can be truly happy and grow.
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Realize we can’t control everything and let the universe guide us.
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Understand the power of intention and the concept of quantum physics. We can create our destiny when we believe in ourselves and feel passionate about our goals.
Empowerment comes from our source and internal connection. Self-mastery is a spiritual understanding that can come from many sources and are not the same for everyone. Prayer, meditation, yoga, and contemplative exercise such as walking, biking, or running. Understand that resistance is often fear of the unknown. A life without fear is a beautiful and happier experience. A life with self-mastery is a happier life!