Emotional enrichment: The blessing of accepting yourself!

I close my eyes and next thing; I am catapulted back to my days at the university. As a very impressionable freshman; I sat down and listened with rapt attention to the preacher/motivational speaker as he bellowed: You are just perfect the way you are! Anybody fatter than you is too fat, anybody slimmer than you is too slim and on and on he went extolling us on why we should love our selves and accept ourselves for who we are. I left the hall that day walking on air, like I had just hit the jackpot.

Fast forward a few years later..... I am faced with the constant competition of trying to get ahead in the workplace. The medals are reserved for only the best. Its either you perform or you are kicked out! To get a seat at the table, you have to be an 'egg head' which is the term that was used for the bright stars in the consulting firm I worked. My heart beats in tandem with the pressures of deliverable and deadlines. It is somewhat exciting except for one sneaky fact: I don't really know who I am any more...

I make a decision then and there; I would leave the workplace aka corporate Nigeria, to begin the entrepreneurial journey and discover myself again. The thoughts and plans gave me a new lease of life and I had a greater sense of purpose and lo and behold I burnt the bridge and took the step with trepidation and happiness. I set some ground rules; I would not compete against anyone, I would make my own rules and pace my self.

Those where happy times....until the reality of not having enough to make ends meet began to hit. My entrepreneurial romanticism  began to fade away, how was I going to make two plus two add up? How were the people who were making it 'big' doing it? I became a student of the 'Nigerian hustle'. It was a bit uncomfortable at first, as I was not one given to bragging or trying to sound or look more successful than I really was. My 'mentors' and 'coaches' taught me well and soon I caught up with the game: sound a certain way, drop some certain names, go to certain places. I was getting good at it, even beginning to see some benefits, until one day I dropped the ball! I forgot to suck up to some people!

I looked at myself in the mirror and told my self, I am just playing the rules of the game, but my heart said: Is this who you really are? Or have you began to measure your self with the worlds standards again? The charade went on for a while, but the 'real' me caught up and I finally told my self what the preacher said those years ago..... And I want to tell you same:

• You are made perfectly-Our creator doesn't make mistakes in his creation, his ways are perfect, you are made perfectly!
• Your personality is just what you need to fulfill your purpose-You might have heard; you are not aggressive enough, or you are too laid back, or you are too aggressive, or you are not vocal enough  Never good enough by the world's standards. But that doesn't matter, you have been equipped with what you need to fulfill purpose. Just continue to be the best you can be.
• It is okay to live a content life!-We live in a world where greed is celebrated, where getting riches through deceptive means is seen as the norm. As much as we should not become complacent in the name of 'I don't want to be like them', we should be content with God's blessings. 
• Define what success means to you and spend your life achieving your definition- People define success differently, make sure you are building your life by your own definition not another person's. 

I have since redefined success in my own language, and it means Family, Spirituality, balance, Peace, influence, well being, wealth and happiness and that has begun to shape my life's decision and has inspired this blog. 

What is your definition of success? Please share your thoughts in the comment box below..

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