Hello! Thanks for coming by (again). If you’ve taken time to read any of the previous 22 posts on this 28-day journey, I want to say a big “Thank You”. Nothing motivates a writer like knowing there are readers on the other side taking their precious time to stop and read. And if this is the first post in this series or on this blog you’re coming across, I say “Welcome” and “Thank You”!

I want to share a few thoughts today on four areas of our lives where we all need to develop mastery if we are going to fulfill our God-given purpose or even achieve our goals and desires. I chose the word “mastery” because it is associated with repetition and practice. It often also comes with making a lot of mistakes, which are a natural outcome of continuous practice in any field or discipline. The mastery we are looking at today, however, is related to our lives.

The first thing we must master is controlling our thoughts. There are thousands of thoughts that flood our minds each day, and we have to choose which to focus on, develop and act on. There is a risk that we sometimes just dwell on the thoughts that come at us repeatedly. Because anything I allow to dominate my mind dominates my life, I am deliberate about filling my mind with the right thoughts, for example, by reading my Bible every day. Do not permit just any thoughts to occupy your mind. Screen before permitting.

The next thing we must master is our words/speech. The Bible is clear that whoever who can control their tongue can control their life. While our words naturally follow our thoughts, I think of the mouth as a gate that can restrain the wrong thoughts from escaping our lips. We are often better off keeping quiet than chattering thoughtlessly. If you need time before speaking, take your time. There may be times that unplanned speech is necessary: this is why we should only nurture the right thoughts so that foolishness does not proceed from our lips because it does not exist in our minds.

The last two areas we must master are character building and choice of company (friends). These two go hand in glove because the company we keep influence our character, and our character determines the company we keep. Building character requires patience and persistence, and a willingness to learn from others. If you are not convinced about the value of good character, it is easy to expect people to accept you as you are or live as you please. This in turn leads to keeping company with people that are unwilling or unable to correct and challenge you. Without these, there can be no true growth.

Mastery in all four areas I have briefly highlighted requires a lot of continuous practice (with many mistakes). More importantly, the journey to gain such mastery is a never-ending one. But if you keep on that journey, you will be prosperous, and your life will be fulfilling! Thanks for coming by and please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments. Remain blessed!