We are all born with a mind that grows as we interact with others around us and the world. Even at a tender age, we learn to make decisions. We are taught by our parents to make decisions because we are always faced with choices to make. And the better you are at making decisions, the better it is as life presents us with opportunities and challenges where our own choice becomes critical to our future. This interaction with the close family members is only a foundation to later relationships in the community, at work, church, school and many other places.
But even as we learn from family members and others; even as we listen to all sorts of advice, there has to be a coherent core of beliefs that an individual should hold to so as to remain unique. Each person has a distinct identity and pathway in life. And every day, we wake up to pursue things that uniquely interest us as individuals. Thus we are shaped by the significant others and the environment into a unique personality with certain beliefs, hopes and fears. A case in point is one of the most enduring heroes of the 20th Century, Mr. Muhammad Ali. Initially born as Cassius Clay; brought up as a Christian and went against the USA Government's draft to fight in Vietnam, he personified the essence of self belief and the power of a strong will to the point of disregarding all others except himself. According to Mr. Ali,
“Whatever the challenge was, however unattainable the goal may have seemed. I never let anyone talk me out of believing in myself”.
It is true that many people have from time to time disagreed with your decisions such as choice of dress, color, house, residential location, school, college, career choice, spouse, religion, place of worship, hairstyle, and many other aspects of our day today life choices. If you are one to be swayed by every external opinion and advice, you would end up not accomplishing anything that you can call your own. At times, one has to stick his or her neck out to remain faithful to his or her own self belief and only time can tell the consequences. For Muhammad Ali, he went up against the advice of the family to change his names and religion; others vilified him for refusing induction into the Army and later on his attempts to regain the World Heavy Weight Title. But true to himself and his inner will, he fought his way to reclaim the world title and to date ranks as one of the most popular sportsmen of the 20th Century.
As individuals, we can accomplish a lot more when we know and trust our inner selves. We therefore must cultivate some beliefs about life, spirituality, values, purpose in life and identify our key calling in life. This can also be called formulation of a personal philosophy of life! When we know where we are going, it is easier to defend and pursue our dreams than when we have no idea. When we have no idea where we are going, it is easier for others to derail us from our destination.
