Posted by You have heard that one of the things that affects our person or our attitudes apart from our background. That is FAMILY, which is the environment we grew up in. Like it or not this is very true. A child who is raised in a good home may find himself struggling to maintain the good front if he grew up in the wrong environment.
This is because, the early stage of a child is all about exploring, going out to meet and interact with others. And there is a high tendency he catches one the characters, attitudes displayed by people in his surroundings.
Our environment affects us one way or the other, whether we like to admit it or not. Now, should it be a limiting factor to our potential? Of course not, it should not. Although the environment has the capability to limit potentials, it should not be given that power. For example, if a child is exceptionally brilliant and outspoken, but lives in an environment where it is required that he cowers or act as if he does not know much, with time the dogged child will become quite fearful; that is what an environment can do. It limits potential.
But let us say, you have found yourself in that situation, where you cannot seem to change your physical environment, and the pressure and hold of it seems to weigh in on you. And you begin to panic, and ask the question, “what should I do?” Well, here is something. You can work on your inner environment, your mind. As much as they say the environment affects a man, there is so little that effect can do, it all depends on the man.
There is nothing as powerful as a person’s mind and inner thoughts. No matter what surrounds a man, if he gets mastery over himself and over his thoughts, he can surmount anything. Now, this is the path to breaking environmental limitations. The beginning of our unleashing the potentials God has deposited in us. Below are a few other things that can help us live out our potential notwithstanding our present situation.
1. Believe you have the potential to turn out well, and you are meant for greatness. Even though everyone around you does not seem to amount to much and it seems you are going the wrong way. You have to trust the fact that you are not them and neither are they you. You have to believe that your case is different and you are made for more.
2. Secondly, act different. Now, this particular point is not going to be easy at all, you are going to be faced with much resistance from family, friends and foes. If you have stayed in a particular environment for a long time and there is a set pattern of doing things, a way of life, when you begin to do something different, no matter how good your intentions are you are going to be met with strong opposition.
This is because people fear change and they believe whatever you are doing is alien to them and does not look too good; so they will come at you. They would probably talk down on the thing you are doing or fight you head on. But this should not deter you from the path you are supposed to go. If you keep at it, for long eventually you will find people who will begin joining you on this path.
3. Be willing to learn, unlearn and relearn. There is so much that can be achieved by an individual who is ready to learn. What limits potentials is the fact that people do not want to let go of their old beliefs. This becomes a limitation. In order to break free from environmental limitations to your potentials, be open to learning and most importantly be willing to learn.
4. Say it. There is something called affirmations. It happens when you say out what you believe ia true. You keep on saying it till you have a firm conviction that it is going to work out the way you imagine it in your mind. How can you make what you want become reality? By making proper use of your mouth. How we use our mouths when it comes to saying words can either mar or make us. Some people believe one thing and yet say another thing, they contradict themselves and become their own enemy of progress.
Should the environment be a limiting factor to our potential? The answer is no, why? Because what we have on the inside is greater than the outside, that is, our environment if only we can properly look more within ourselves.
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