Mindset Revolution: Master Your Thoughts and Master Your Life

By Akosua Bame

Everything that has ever been created or achieved began as a thought. Living a life of destiny requires one to gain mastery over their thoughts through a process of harmonising their spirit, soul and body. This means change, which although a constant in life, can be challenging; changing a mind-set even more so.

This book is aimed at giving readers, especially Africans, a different perspective of their circumstances. It challenges the subconscious beliefs they may have which may be holding them back from living their potential. Although set within an African context, the truths presented is the minimum daily dose of inspiration and life coaching anyone needs to kick start the revolution of their minds.

Through a pragmatic, humour filled, conversational style, Akosua exposes truths, laws and secrets for living a 'truly' winning life. In here she shares:

Why the natural state is a life of abundance Why having a vision and dreaming is important How the 'secret' to living your potential lies in your thoughts How to discover and become more of the REAL you

Akosua says 'come with an open mind, embrace the truths presented and you will begin to discover how gaining mastery over your thoughts can propel you into living your wildest dreams'.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Aug 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504944441

Akosua Bame

Akosua Bame is a born-again Christian mother whose passion is to empower her generation through her entrepreneurial, literary, and media work. A Ghanaian, born and raised in Ghana, Akosua relocated to the United Kingdom at the age of twenty-three, where she started her professional career. She did not go with a begging bowl but rather a passion to learn and maximise her potential. She went in search of greener pastures and is truly grateful for the opportunities that she has had to develop her knowledge, skills, and experience in a range of fields. Akosua’s background and experience have given her the ability to look at Africa from an objective perspective; in the process, she has gone from being sad to angry to frustrated and, finally, to hopeful. An MBA, accomplished strategic change manager, entrepreneur, life coach, and talk show host, Akosua’s overwhelming vision is to see lives enriched through the alignment of the body, soul, and spirit.

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© 2015 Akosua Bame. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 08/19/2015

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4445-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-8802-5 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5049-4444-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgements

The Little Success Strategy

My Beliefs

The Bible and the laws that govern this universe

Author’s Note

How to use this book

The African Context

Poverty versus Abundance

Simple Life Truths

The Nature of Vision

Dreaming Is Important

Thoughts Become Things

Who Am I?

Being

Dedication

To God:

For choosing me to write this book.

To Daa:

For believing in me.

To Maa:

For grounding me spiritually and teaching me to pray.

To my siblings (Kojo, Nana Kofi, and Yaa):

For the laughter we have shared, are sharing, and will share; you are the best, and I would choose you as my family if I had to do it all over again.

To my children (Carlo, Chrystine, and the twins):

For your love and unconditional support, for being the best children one could ask for, and for making parenting easy.

To my husband (Charles Ashiagbor):

For encouraging me to press on.

To my human family:

I’m privileged to be a part of your journey.

Acknowledgements

My sincere love and complete gratitude to:

• my son Carlo-Samuel for his review and editing services;

• my daughter Chrystine-Symone for her contribution to the cover design and key sections of this book;

• and my good friend and ‘twin sister’ Amanda Simpson for her unwavering support and great ideas on how to make this book practical.

The Little Success Strategy

Each day:

✓ get a little closer to God

✓ say a little prayer

✓ dream a little bigger

✓ get a little more clarity on your vision

✓ take a little step towards your dreams

✓ spread a little Joy

✓ love a little more

✓ speak a little less

✓ listen a little more

✓ be a little healthier

✓ get a little richer

✓ become a little wiser

✓ become a little more of yourself!

My Beliefs

I believe the following:

✓ God is the Creator of the universe.

✓ Jesus is the way to God.

✓ God’s DNA is in all of us.

✓ We are therefore all one.

✓ The Bible is a true historical account of events, a lifestyle manual, and a prophecy about the future.

✓ Beyond accepting the truth of biblical accounts, one can only lead the fulfilled life promised in them if one also accepts the instructions in the manual.

✓ God is love.

✓ The devil is the antithesis to God and operates as fear.

✓ The universe is governed by certain non-negotiable laws and forces.

✓ The lawsand forces operate whether you believe them or not.

✓ The greatest force in the world is love.

✓ Everything already exists (even those things that you have not yet imagined).

✓ The primary law that governs creation is the law of attraction.

✓ The law of attraction is activated through faith.

✓ Our natural state is to operate from a position of love.

✓ Fear masquerades in our lives as our ‘egos’.

✓ When we allow our ‘egos’ to ‘edge God out’, we operate in fear.

✓ The fruits of love are joy, happiness, love, peace, unity, etc.

✓ The fruits of fear are anger, envy, jealousy, war, etc.

✓ The reality of the death of Jesus Christ is to reconcile me back to God.

✓ Through this reconciliation, God is no longer only my creator; he also becomes my father.

✓ The symbolism of the death of Jesus Christ is a death of the ego (fear) and a resurrection to our true selves, which is love.

✓ To be successful, we must die and be resurrected on a continuous basis.

✓ Every time we deny the ego its way and operate through the force of love, we are successfully resurrected.

✓ Our journey here on earth is to be awakened (born again) to our ‘Christ consciousness’ in preparation for the new world.

✓ Heaven is real.

✓ Hell is real.

✓ Your life journey prepares you for one of these destinations!

The Bible and the laws that govern this universe

Every law that governs this universe is clearly stated/demonstrated in the Bible:

The Law of Obedience

This law requires us to obey God’s guidance in order to operate in the harmony of his plans for our lives. God’s guidance comes through his spiritual voice, which speaks to our spirits. When we are aligned to God and hear his voice, our obedience ensures that we operate in divine timing. In the passage below, the consequence of King Saul’s disobedience was the loss of his throne!

But Samuel replied: ‘Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.’ (1 Samuel 15:22b)

The Law of Forgiveness

This law ensures that we forgive those who wrong us promptly for our own sakes. It shifts us from the pain and darkness associated with staying ‘mad’ and translates us into the light and joy that come with releasing those who wrong us.

Jesus answered, ‘I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.’ (Matthew 18:22)

The Law of Attraction

This law states that to ‘every act there is an equal and opposite reaction’. It is a supernatural law that governs the process of creation. This law is working whether or not you consciously exploit it. It delivers to us whatever our predominant thoughts hold. It can simply be summarised as like attracts like.

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. (Proverbs 4:23)

The Law of Sacrifice

This law states that you must give in order to receive. It may appear to defy the logic of the world system but, on the contrary, is one of the most fundamental truths you need to grasp. Thinking of this law in terms of how a farmer plants his seed (gives) and reaps a harvest (receives) makes it logical indeed.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38)

The Law of Receiving

This law simply states that you get what you expect. It complements the law of attraction. So, in essence, you activate the creative process through the law of attraction by asking through your thoughts. To complete the creative process, you must have an expectation of receiving what you have asked for.

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)

Author’s Note

To my dear African siblings:

• I have written this ‘little’ book to challenge all of us to take a closer look at our reality and begin to live the truly enriched lives God has naturally blessed us with.

• I am a Ghanaian, born and raised in Ghana for the first twenty-three years of my life. I relocated to the United Kingdom at the age of 23 and started my professional career here. I did not come with a begging bowl but rather a passion to learn and maximise my potential. Yes, I came in search of greener pastures, and I am truly grateful for the opportunities that I have had to develop my knowledge, skills, and experience in a range of fields. My background and experience have, however, given me the ability to look at Africa from an objective perspective; in the process, I have gone from being sad to angry to frustrated and finally to feeling hopeful.

• This book is a message of hope. It is my hope that we will all begin to appreciate who we truly are. We are neither superior nor inferior. We, just as all of humanity, are blessed children of God. He has called us to a life of abundance. In the Bible God says, ‘My people perish because of a lack of knowledge.’ It is therefore my hope that by gaining knowledge through meditating on the ‘daily truths’ shared within this African context, we will all truly begin to live as God always intended – lives of fruitfulness and multiplication.

Stay blessed!

Akosua

How to use this book

This book is a mindset change and meditational tool.

It contains 365 ‘truths’; one for every day of the year. You are allowed a day off during a leap year.

Follow the recommended steps below in order to get the best use out of it:

• Find a quiet time in the day when you can spare five to ten minutes (first thing in the morning would be ideal). First read the truth out loud to yourself. Silently digest the brief commentary on the truth. Then ask yourself a few questions about the truth. Some suggested questions are:

* What is the message?

* How does this apply to me?

* Based on the message, what should I stop doing?

* What should I start doing?

* What should I keep doing?

* Thereisachartattheendofeachseven-dayperiod. Thisisforyoutorecordyourgratitude, affirmations, decisions, andactionsasyougothrougheachweek.

Throughout the day, try to reflect on what you read and the actions you have planned. Look for opportunities to start implementing your actions straight away – you will be amazed what life throws your way.

At the end of the day, just before going to bed, take another five minutes to reflect on the truth for the day. Say your usual prayer and travel on to ‘snooze land’.

At the end of every seven days review the next steps you have been recording and ensure that you have indeed been implementing them.

Happy living!

The African Context

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Setting the Scene

I think it is important to set a context here about the continent of Africa so we can all embark on this journey with an open mind; not a defensive attitude.

I am not naïve enough to suggest that life in every African country is the same. Indeed, some of the safari experiences one can enjoy in the eastern part of the continent can only be looked on with envy by those in the western part. It may even come as a surprise to some, but not all Africans are dark skinned; obviously white South Africans easily spring to mind here but there are others (for example, in the northern part of the continent) who belong to the African family. The diversity does not stop there; there are the varied languages, cultural norms and traditions, clothing, food and so on. Indeed the daily grind of living does throw up different experiences for the different parts of the continent.

But there is one underlying theme that permeates the continent - that of Africa as a victim. A perception that is held both by Africans and the Western World. Whilst the perception of others is outside one’s control, it is certainly within the control of the African to manage his own perceptions about himself. Now, I am not suggesting that every African perceives him/herself as a victim of circumstances; but the majority do. Indeed, there are Africans who have broken the victim paradigm; those are the ones we see making headlines when successful people in Africa are discussed. Two deductions emerge from this; the African can stop being a victim and the African will achieve success when he stops being a victim. And here lies my motivation for writing this book which forms part of a toolkit towards mind-set change - for all people as part of their journey towards living their potential!

Be Open

• The daily truths in this book apply to all lives. The essence of this section is to contextualise it for Africans.

• The messages highlighted in this section are aimed towards giving Africans a different perspective of their circumstances. It is given to challenge the beliefs we may subconsciously be holding onto and which we continue to inadvertently pass on from one generation to the other. They are presented in an ‘in-your-face’ manner to jolt you out of your comfort zone and get you to take steps to ‘live the best life’ God intended for all of us.

• Change, although a constant in life, can be challenging; changing a mindset even more so. With an open mind though, the daily truths highlighted in this section will provoke you to not only change your mindset but in so doing to also start living your potential. You may start off indignant, even disagreeing with the context; this is a perfectly valid stage of the change process. Be careful not to wallow too long in this phase though; you can achieve this by being truly sincere with yourself. With an open and honest outlook, you will not only come to accept the ‘truths’ laid out here; you will find that you cannot help but share the message with others too.

• Happy awakening!

Day 1

Africa is a rich continent; get it!

The fact of the matter is Africa is a truly rich continent and has always been. The wealth of the land is evident in its trading history, which spans centuries. Most of the countries in this beautiful continent are rich in minerals such as gold, diamond, bauxite, and so on. Add to that the predominantly tropical climate that enhances lifestyle and feelings of well-being, soil that supports the growth of a vast array of exotic vegetables and fruits, an assortment of plants with herbal properties, most of which grow naturally and wildly, and the only conclusion you can honestly reach is this – Africa is indeed a rich continent.

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My realisation: I come from and live on a rich continent!

Day 2

Africa is a land saturated with possibilities.

Having the right perspective is key; unfortunately Africans have a tendency to see problems. Where most foreigners would see opportunity, we see problems. At the risk of causing offence, I have to be a little specific on this particular issue. The current electricity-generation crisis in prominent parts of West Africa represents opportunities to invest in alternative sources of energy generation. Africa’s soil and temperate climate are suitable for growing most crops; yet we remain dependent on a few cash crops. Why? African overpopulation also provides a sound consumer base for inter-trading – do we see this? We need a shift in focus. It is time for Africans to wake up to the opportunities (disguised as problems) that their mother continent is offering them.

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My affirmation: I see possibilities!

Day 3

The grass is as green in Africa as it is in the Western world.

There is a tendency to think the grass is greener in the Western world. That is not an entirely true perspective, and it certainly does not apply consistently across all social classes in the Western world. Where the grass is truly greener, it is because the West has taken time to invest in tending its grass (metaphorically speaking). Instead of Africans looking longingly at the grass overseas, why not tend to our own grass? Why not invest in the structures, tools, and techniques needed to tend our gardens effectively? If Africa prioritises its garden, she will soon find that well-watered and tended grass in Africa can be as green as the grass in the West.

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My affirmation: I thrive wherever I am!

Day 4

Only Africans are yet to discover the true worth of Africa.

Why do most foreigners thrive in Africa and yet the majority of Africans languish in poverty? It is simply a question of perspective. If we continue to focus on a continent of problems instead of one of possibilities, our circumstances will remain unchanged. Remember how the discovery of Africa’s worth fuelled its colonisation in the nineteenth century, which ultimately led to the fight for independence by Africans? Well, the ending of apartheid in 1994 signalled the final victory in the fight for independence. Yet, in spite of independence, Africans have not discovered the true worth of their continent. If we had, productivity levels would be at an all-time high, trading with each other would be a priority, basic infrastructural facilities would not be aspirational, and, most importantly, there would not be an over-reliance on foreign aid. The truth is, if you don’t know the value of what you have, you will easily part with it. And indeed our leadership continues to part with the treasures of our land in the name of buying solutions to problems. It is time to wake up to the ‘true worth’ of this continent.

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My realisation: I truly appreciate what a blessed continent Africa is!

Day 5

Racism may have begun with the white man, but it is the black man’s choice to continue to live it.

The black man is not expected to rise beyond a certain level, and any black person that surpasses that expectation is seen as an anomaly. If we accept this view, then there is no reason for black people to try, since their efforts are in vain. In my career I have had bosses, under the mistaken notion of paying me a compliment, make statements along the lines of, ‘You know, I do not see you as black.’ One reaction would be for me to feel angry that my ‘bigoted’ bosses believed that my qualities were unusual in a black person; naturally this reaction would become apparent in my behaviour and potentially result in not only destroying our relationship but also ultimately in me living up to yet another unflattering view of blacks (i.e. that we are all angry people). Personally, I choose to see this as a dispelling of the stereotypical views held about us – one successful black person at a time. It is our collective responsibility to choose not to subscribe to whatever racist views are held of us.

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My affirmation: I know who I am!

Day 6

Inferiority complex fuels racism.

Every time we subscribe to a negative view about us, we validate it. Whilst we may verbally denounce such views and vehemently oppose them loudly, the truth is, what we accept mentally is what matters. Any time you catch yourself thinking along the lines of, ‘He is treating me this way because I am black,’ or, ‘If I were not black, he wouldn’t speak to me in this manner,’ note that at a mental level you are subscribing to being inferior. No matter how hard you try to disguise it, whatever you believe inside is what you will project externally. You may therefore be giving off signals that invite people to treat you or speak to you as though you were inferior. The only way to break this cycle is to stop lending fuel to racism; deal with your own inferiority complex.

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My action: I challenge my limiting beliefs!

Day 7

Freedom from racial prejudice can only truly happen in the black man’s mind.

There is a tendency for the black man to look to the white man for his freedom from racial prejudice. Whilst biases may exist in socio-economic systems against the welfare of blacks and these are continually being addressed through legislation, affirmative action, and the like, the truth is, these steps do not free one from racial prejudice. Prejudice by its nature is based on thought processes and views. With the best will in the world you cannot control what others think of you; you can only try to influence their thoughts through your behaviour and actions, but the choice rests with others as to how they perceive you. So in truth, the only way to be free from racial prejudice is in your own mind. After all, you can only control what you choose to believe about yourself.

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My affirmation: I am totally free: spirit, soul, and body!

My Next Steps

Day 8

Slavery is not the white man’s invention!

There is a certain truth Africans must face if we are to progress from our past into the future we deserve. After all, that is the first step to any therapeutic intervention: to accept where you are, in order to better define the steps you need to take to get to where you want to be. The truth is that slavery existed on the African continent before the arrival of the Portuguese, Danish, French, English, and so on. Indeed, indigenous slavery continues to permeate our continent to this present day. The white man merely exploited a practice that already existed on our continent. So, contrary to many beliefs held, slavery was not invented by the white man.

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My realisation: I accept the truth about slavery!

Day 9

The white man bought slaves, but Africa sold her sons!

I did say that we need to take an honest look at ourselves in order to progress to a better future; so here we go. Tony Blair (former UK prime minister) once stated that ‘the state of Africa