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Do you listen to what people tell you about yourself?  Who are you and what do you stand for?  Do you really know?  Because, people who don’t know who they are or what they stand for usually fall for/believe anything.  An even better question to ask yourself is do you believe what people tell you about who they think you are?  There are people who will tell you all the negative things about yourself, perhaps to deflect them from confronting all the negative things about themselves.  Then, there are people who will tell you all the positive things about yourself, perhaps they are secure enough with themselves to lift someone else up with words of encouragement or perhaps they are yes men and women and do not want to upset you, for fear of losing their own personal gain.  Whatever the reason, we have to learn how to control our own mind and the way in which we feel about ourselves.  If you are doing and saying positive things about yourself, there are people who will really look deep to find your flaws and remind you of them in effort to steal your joy.  Do you let them steal your joy?  If you do, you shouldn’t.  We have to be willing to accept constructive criticism from others, when it comes from a good place (the heart) in effort to make us live and do better. 

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If people are telling us to not do or say something that is harmful to ourselves or others, we should be willing to listen.  However, we do not have to accept criticism or judgment that comes from personal feelings, biases, perception, misconception, opinionated thoughts and beliefs in effort to negatively affect how we begin to feel about ourselves.  We should not let someone else control our mind, when they have bad intentions for doing so.  For those of you who try to control someone else’s mind, ask yourselves, where is the information that you are giving others coming from?  Is it coming from a place of judgment or critique in effort to diminish how the person feels about themselves or is it coming from your heart in effort to lift them up and encourage them to do better?  If it is coming from a place of ill intent, think about how you would feel if someone said or did the same things to you.  If the information is not coming from a good place, don’t share it.   We have to learn how to train our mind to think positively about who we are and what we are capable of doing. 

Do not let someone else control your mind, especially in regard to how you feel about yourself.   You are the decision maker in your life, and the decisions that you make can and will impact you directly.  You should be the person controlling your mind.  God is the only other being that you should allow to have control over your mind.  If you have already let someone else control your mind, you can take back that control.  Below are some steps on how to control your own mind: 

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-Learn how to remove yourselves from people who are negative influences in your life and people who find it hard to applaud you for a job well done, but easy to critique you when you make mistakes.  Limit or eliminate the time you spend with them.

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-It is extremely important to mention that we have to first do a self-assessment/evaluation of ourselves to determine whether or not what people are telling us is fact or merely opinion.  

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-Learn how to remove yourselves from people who try to manipulate you into doing what is best for them, instead of doing what is best for you.  Reduce or eliminate contact from those people as much as possible to take your control back.

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-Learn how to surround yourselves with positive people who can celebrate your wins, and encourage you through your losses. 

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-Pray for a spirit of discernment to be able to differentiate/distinguish good intent from bad intent. 

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-Learn to meditate to slow down your thought processes, because we are constantly at a state of thinking.  Begin to change negative affirmations in your mind into positive affirmations.

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-Believe in yourself and your abilities. 

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-Reward yourself for small and big successes. 

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-Be your authentic self. 

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-Plan to do what is right at all times, not what is easy. 

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-Do not be afraid to control your own mind.  Only you can live your life, no one else can live your life for you. 

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No, I am not trying to control your mind.  I am giving you this information, so that you can learn how to control your own mind.  The one reason why you can listen to what I am asking you to do right now (control your mind) is because this life lesson is coming from a good place, my heart.  Learning is always by design.  Mind control.

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By Dietra Myers